Lee to attend ASEAN, APEC summits in Philippines, China next week

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to attend summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) next week, according to his national security adviser. The trip will begin on Monday with a visit to Manila, where the president will participate in the ASEAN summit until Tuesday.

Thereafter, Lee will embark on a two-day journey to China's Shenzhen, where he will attend the APEC summit starting Wednesday, as confirmed by National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac during a briefing.

At these forthcoming events, President Lee aims to bolster mutual trust and cooperation among leaders through bilateral and multilateral meetings. He also intends to emphasize South Korea's role in addressing regional issues such as energy supply chains, transnational crimes, and food security, as per Wi Sung-lac's statement. A separate presidential official noted that it would be unlikely for North Korea to attend the upcoming APEC summit to engage in talks with the United States.

While he acknowledged that a zero possibility of such talks cannot be definitively ruled out, Wi expressed skepticism about the probability, stating, "It would be difficult to say there is zero possibility of talks (between North Korea and the US), but I think the probability might not be high."