Andrew Yeo, Korea Chair at the Brookings Institution, speaks at an event at the think tank in Washington D.C. on the 21st (local time). Yonhap News. 

While the possibility of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un during Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this month is slim, it cannot be entirely ruled out, an American expert on the Korean Peninsula observed.

Andrew Yeo, Korea Chair at the U.S. think tank Brookings Institution, stated at an APEC-related media breakfast held at the institution in Washington D.C. on the same day, "It seems unlikely that President Trump and Chairman Kim will meet during APEC."

He described CNN's report that U.S. officials have been discussing such a meeting in private, as well as the suspension of special tours to Panmunjom during the APEC summit by the UN Command and the Ministry of Unification, as "interesting," adding, "Of course, all of this suggests the possibility that President Trump could meet with (Chairman Kim)."

Yeo explained his skepticism about the meeting: "First, President Trump is only visiting South Korea and will not attend the APEC summit." He added, "The schedule for the 29th and 30th is very tight, and a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is already a major focus."

He further commented, "Therefore, I am unsure if the Trump team will have the capacity to prepare for a meeting with Chairman Kim. This is purely an operational and protocol issue."

Yeo also stated, "It is uncertain whether Chairman Kim would want to meet at this point," analyzing, "He has already met with Putin and Xi. According to Chinese sources, President Xi advised Chairman Kim to meet with Trump, but we do not know if Chairman Kim is ready."

Yeo then added, "Is this the right time? Chairman Kim might wait longer." He concluded, "Therefore, I am skeptical about a Trump-Kim Jong Un meeting, but I will not completely rule it out."

Regarding South Korea's role in a potential Trump-Kim Jong Un meeting, Yeo analyzed, "President Lee Jae-myung would try to make it happen if he could." However, he added, "For President Lee to be perceived as a meaningful figure by Chairman Kim, it would require him to go through President Trump, or for the U.S. to play a mediating role. This is the reverse of how the Moon Jae-in administration connected Trump and Kim in 2018."

Yonhap News