Possibility of US-North Korea summit being held in March next year emerges - What does South Korea's National Intelligence Service think?

South Korea's intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Service, has expressed the view that the US-North Korea summit is likely to take place after the US-South Korea joint military exercises scheduled for March next year.
US President Donald Trump, who was on a tour of Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit that ended on the 1st, said he wanted to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated, "Chairman Kim is willing to hold talks with the United States, and will contact the United States in the future if the conditions are right."
Trump and Kim met three times during Trump's first term in 2018-19. At their first meeting in Singapore in June 2018, the two agreed on the outline of this.
However, negotiations broke down at a meeting in Hanoi in February 2019 over the denuclearization process and other issues. The third summit was held in June 2019 at Panmunjom, on the military demarcation line between South and North Korea.
Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to walk across the inter-Korean military demarcation line into North Korea, attracting worldwide attention at the time, but the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea have not met since.
In September of this year, Kim gave a speech at the Supreme People's Assembly (equivalent to the National Assembly) held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, saying, "After North Korea abandons its nuclear program and disarms, what will the United States do?
"We know very well that we will never give up our nuclear weapons," he said, once again emphasizing that he has absolutely no intention of denuclearizing. Kim, on the other hand, said, "If the United States were to give up its obsession with denuclearization and acknowledge the reality, we would not be able to counter it."
"There's no reason not to sit down," he said, hinting at the possibility of a dialogue. He also said of Trump, "I still have fond personal memories of him."
In July of this year, Kim Yo-jong, Kim's sister and vice director of the Workers' Party of Korea, raised the possibility of a US-North Korea summit in a speech.
He also mentioned the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Kim, saying that the personal relationship between the two is not bad.
The environment has fundamentally changed," he said, adding, "If the United States does not accept reality, (U.S.-North Korea) contact will end up being nothing more than a wish for the United States," indicating his position that he will not agree to negotiations premised on denuclearization.
Trump has also expressed his desire to meet with Kim for a fourth time. In a January interview with Fox News, he said of Kim, "I got along well with him. He's a wise man.
He is a good man," he said, and when asked by a reporter if he would try to contact Kim again, he replied, "I intend to." Trump was traveling around Asia in conjunction with the APEC summit, which ran until the 1st of this month.
During this visit, Trump said he wanted to meet with Kim Jong Un, which led to speculation that a surprise US-North Korea summit might be held, but in the end it did not take place.
On the 29th of last month, after completing a three-day schedule in Japan and heading to his next destination, South Korea, he said, "I have always built a good relationship with North Korea. I will meet with them someday, but (this time) the schedule is very
"It's tough," he said. Meanwhile, North Korea remained silent until Trump left South Korea and set off for his return. South Korea's National Intelligence Service announced on the 4th that the US-North Korea summit held in conjunction with the APEC summit will be held in the future.
Although North Korea did not reveal any details, it said it had been working behind the scenes to prepare for talks with the US.
It has been confirmed that Kim was agonizing over whether to cancel the visit, considering the possibility of a meeting with the United States. When Kim meets with foreign leaders or visits overseas, he is known for being responsible for diplomacy.
Choi, who will be in charge of the mission, will be present and accompanying the delegation. The NIS also expressed its view that "North Korea is highly likely to hold a US-North Korea summit after the US-South Korea joint military exercises in March 2026."
The report cites the fact that North Korea has recently accumulated a large amount of information on people involved in international organizations in the United States, North Korea policy practitioners, and several senior leaders as examples of this.