Recent calls in South Korea to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju this October are losing momentum due to North Korea’s firm stance.
On Monday, Kim Yo Jong, deputy director of the Workers’ Party of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, dismissed the Lee Jae-myung government’s conciliatory gestures toward North Korea, including the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts. She stated that the proposal to invite Kim Jong Un to the APEC summit is merely fostering delusions.
Since President Lee Jae-myung took office, some political circles have suggested that the APEC summit could serve as a forum for dialogue among South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., and China. Recent media reports even claimed that the National Intelligence Service of South Korea was assessing the feasibility of inviting Kim Jong Un.
While the South Korean government and the presidential office maintain that there are no ongoing discussions about inviting North Korea to the APEC summit, they have not entirely ruled out the possibility, noting that the host country can invite non-member states.
During his confirmation hearing, Unification Minister Jeong Dong Young expressed optimism, stating that if APEC can become a platform for peace on the Korean Peninsula, it would be a momentous occasion.
However, diplomatic circles have consistently criticized these hopeful speculations as unrealistic.
Firstly, as North Korea is not an APEC member, inviting them would require a proposal from South Korea, the host nation, and unanimous agreement from all 21 member countries. This means the South Korean government would need to secure prior consent from member states to pursue Kim Jong Un’s invitation.
However, given North Korea’s violations of UN Security Council sanctions and its illegal military cooperation with Russia, analysts believe it is virtually impossible to garner support.
Furthermore, experts assess that the likelihood of Kim Jong Un attending the APEC summit is low, given his lack of experience in multilateral diplomatic settings.
The last time a North Korean supreme leader participated in a multilateral diplomatic event was during Kim Il Sung’s regime in the 1950s and 1960s. Kim Il Sung attended events such as the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution in 1957.
Experts argue that the very idea of inviting Kim Jong Un lacks realism from the outset, dismissing it as wishful thinking.
Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, explained that Kim Jong Un’s inability to participate in multilateral diplomacy stems from the structural limitations of the North Korean regime. The supreme leader system collapses the moment it becomes one among many. Park noted that attempting this invitation, knowing it’s impossible, only serves to provoke North Korea.
Professor Park further explained that North Korea has already designated South Korea as an adversary as of late last year and has confirmed its stance not to engage with either progressive or conservative administrations. Typically, North Korea would observe a new South Korean government for two to three months, but this time, they’ve remarkably quickly defined their position, indicating they’ve already excluded the possibility of attending APEC.