Seoul Spy Agency Says US-North Korea Summit Could Happen 'At Any Time'

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has told parliament that a fresh summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could materialize at any moment, according to lawmaker Youn Kun-young, who briefed reporters after a closed-door session on Tuesday.

Youn said the agency's assessment was based on unspecified "signs of dialogue" between Washington and Pyongyang, even though it could not point to any confirmed direct contact between the two governments. North Korea has not publicly acknowledged any outreach from the Trump administration.

The assessment follows remarks last month by Trump, who said he intends to meet Kim again before the end of the year and stressed the importance of maintaining good relations with the North Korean leader. Trump also noted that North Korea now possesses 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons, underscoring the stakes of any renewed diplomacy.

Pyongyang's public response has been muted. State media said Kim retains "good memories and feelings" toward Trump and described the personal rapport between the two leaders as still "excellent," but stopped short of confirming any concrete plans for talks or directly responding to Trump's overtures.

The diplomatic signals have coincided with continued tension on the peninsula. Washington's decision to scale back joint military exercises with Seoul in August drew a sharp response from Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's influential sister, who called the move South Korea's "comeuppance." Hours after Trump's remarks about getting along with Kim, North Korea test-fired more than ten short-range ballistic missiles.

Analysts remain skeptical that talks are truly imminent. Yang Moo-jin, a former head of the University of North Korean Studies, said Pyongyang, buoyed by its deepening ties with Russia amid the war in Ukraine, currently has little incentive to seek dialogue with Washington. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has pursued a more conciliatory approach toward the North since taking office in mid-2025, but Pyongyang has rebuffed his overtures, branding Seoul its "most hostile" enemy.

Trump held three summits with Kim during his first term, including a historic meeting at the Demilitarized Zone, but none produced a lasting denuclearization agreement. He has since said he remains open to meeting Kim again and even described North Korea last year as "sort of a nuclear power," a striking departure from decades of official US policy.