S. Korea closely watching possible U.S.-China-Russia summit: vice FM

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is closely watching developments surrounding the possibility of a trilateral summit among the leaders of the United States, China and Russia on the sidelines of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, a senior Seoul official said Thursday.

First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo made the remarks during a session of the parliamentary foreign affairs and unification committee in response to Rep. Park Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party's question about the prospect of such a meeting.

"We are closely monitoring developments involving the U.S., China and Russia, as the possibility of discussions on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula (during the meeting) cannot be ruled out," Park said.

There have been discussions about a possible first-ever trilateral meeting among U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to foreign media reports.

The lawmaker said North Korea's strategic value and leverage have grown since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war amid closer military and security ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, adding that a trilateral summit could help create momentum toward a resolution of the war in Ukraine.

In response, Park said North Korea is in a "considerably advantageous strategic position" and the government will continue to closely monitor relevant developments.

Asked about possible additional sanctions against North Korea over its illicit cyber activities, the vice minister said the government "is holding interagency consultations" on the matter.