Kim may be invited to South Korea-ASEAN summit in November

Seoul [South Korea], Apr 1 (ANI): South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting with the leaders of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries in November this year, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also possibly in attendance during the summit.
Making the announcement, South Korea's Presidential office said that the special South Korea-ASEAN summit will be held at Busan, located around 450 km from Seoul, on November 25 and 26. The meeting will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between South Korea and ASEAN, Yonhap News Agency reported. 
"As the largest international conference to be held in our country since the launch of the incumbent administration, the summit is expected to review the development of South Korea-ASEAN relations over the past 30 years and suggest a new vision for development in the next 30 years," Yoon Do-han, the senior secretary to the President for Public Relations, told reporters here on Monday.
Later, an official from the Presidential office said that the meeting may also involve Kim. The official said that some ASEAN nations have mulled extending an invitation to the North Korean leader.
The ASEAN comprises 10 countries -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
"The country will begin consultations with ASEAN countries based on such proposal, and depending on the outcome of their consultations, the country may invite Chairman Kim Jong-un," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Moon has underlined the importance of ASEAN countries in its efforts to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons, saying that all 10 ASEAN member countries maintain diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.
Moon and Kim have met thrice, with their latest meeting held in Pyongyang in September last year. The North Korean leader has expressed keenness to visit South Korea for the fourth meeting with the South Korean President. (ANI)