[Weekly Focus] Will Donald Trump, Xi Jinping come to APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting? Is North Korea invited?

This week, we're less than 100 days from the opening of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting or AELM.

To discuss which global figures may be attending and sensitive geopolitical developments unfolding behind the scenes, we're joined by our foreign affairs correspondent Oh Soo-young.

Q1: First, the big headline — is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un really being invited to APEC?

At this stage, no. But later, maybe.

There's currently no formal effort to invite North Korea to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

The unification ministry told reporters Thursday that "there are no ongoing discussions on inviting Chairman Kim"

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry put out a separate statement that "North Korea is not an APEC member and is not eligible in principle to attend."

But it said "the host country can invite non-member states for informal dialogue."

The Presidential Office also clarified that North Korea was not among formally invited countries --and an invitation would have to be considered by foreign policy and unification circles.

It seems the idea is being explored behind the scenes.

National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok reportedly briefed the President before he took office that APEC could serve as a potential platform for dialogue between the two Koreas, the U.S., and China.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has expressed support for the idea. He said during his July 14 confirmation hearing that it would be "a historic opportunity."

On Friday, the day of his inauguration, the minister went to the joint inter-Korean border area of Panmunjeom to examine the communication line.

As Minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2005, Chung had previously pushed to invite Kim Jong Il to the Busan APEC Summit as an observer.

Diplomatic insiders caution that the likelihood of Kim attending remains extremely low.

"There is no precedent that North Korean leader to participate this multilateral mechanism or multilateral dialogue because North Korea they have a one man rule --which we call "suryeong" system. means the top leader according to the concept, is not supposed to mix with any other kind of any other leaders and should be top and not mingled with other common leaders."

"In order to extend an invitation to the North, the inter-Korean liaison channels must be restored first. But that's not even the case. In my view, North Korea is still designated as a hostile state by two countries. So how could he suddenly attend under those circumstances?

Also, considering that the war in Ukraine is still going on, the possibility of a Trump-Kim summit being held at Panmunjom or anywhere else around that area is not very high either."

But never say never. A lot can happen in 3 months.

Q2: What about other big names? Presidents Trump and Xi? Are they expected to attend?

According to diplomatic sources I've spoken to, and those cited in other media, it seems Chinese leader Xi Jinping's unofficially looking to attend the AELM in Korea.

This would mark his first trip to South Korea since 2014.

With that, there's growing speculation in both Seoul and Washington that a Trump–Xi summit could be held on the sidelines in Gyeongju --which would mark their first in-person meeting since Trump's return to the White House.

"it's not that easy to meet these two leaders before the APEC. So this could be a first time it would be the first time that these two great powers meet up and at the same time this multilateral setting is getting important in this kind of very unpredictable world."

On the U.S. side, Donald Trump has not officially confirmed he will attend.

But Seoul officials are preparing for his attendance, it seems.

I'd imagine the Lee Administration sees both leaders attending as crucial to raising APEC's profile --and possibly laying groundwork for parallel discussions on Korean Peninsula issues, bilateral trade, and security in the Indo-Pacific.

Q3: That leads to the broader significance of this year's APEC for South Korea.

Yes. It is deeply symbolic. It comes after the months-long political turbulence in Korea surrounding now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief martial law declaration in December last year.

With the crisis behind us, hosting APEC gives the government a rare chance to reset its image on the global stage.

South Korea has positioned the AELM as a revival of "K-democracy," and its role in promoting multilateralism.

"Over the years, Korea has filled trust and meaningful contributions in the international community.

Building on that, at the APEC Economy Leaders' Meeting, which is returning to Korea after 20 years will serve as a great opportunity for us to show that we've restored our K-Democracy and that Korea is back on track after the political challenges we faced last year The emblem and the smile of Shilla not only reflect our warmth and hospitality and openness with Korea's commitment in fulfilling our role as a responsible member of the international community."

Q4: Finally, walk us through what to expect at this year's APEC?

Under the theme of Building a Sustainable Tomorrow, leaders from 21 member economies will address emerging challenges for the region.

Seoul is pushing to adopt related initiatives in the interest of future generations, from cooperation on AI and addressing demographic changes as a key initiative among many other global issues.

Highlighting the need to quote "Connect, Innovate, and Prosper," Korea hope to see many deliverables emerge, including a standalone document alongside the Gyeongju Declaration at the leaders' meeting in late October.

Thank you. With just under 100 days to go, it looks like APEC 2025 could shape not only South Korea's role on the world stage — but the wider balance of diplomacy in the region.