Yoon Sang-hyun says North Korea-US talks at APEC 'near zero' chance, warns of 'catastrophe' if held

People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun, a former chair of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said the chances of North Korea-US talks taking place at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18-19 (local time) are "virtually zero" — and warned that if such talks did occur, "it would be a catastrophe for the Korean Peninsula."

Yoon made the remarks Monday on KBS Radio's "Jeongyeok Sisa," saying that North Korea-US dialogue would "inevitably lead to a situation where North Korea must be recognized as a de facto nuclear state."

"Looking at recent statements by President Donald Trump, around Oct. 12 he suggested a meeting was possible, but a week later he backed off and said 'I don't know,' and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said 'nothing is scheduled,'" Yoon said. "Also, if a North Korea-US summit is to happen, Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping must meet beforehand — that was the case at the Singapore summit in June 2018 as well."

Yoon added that Kim's visit to Dandong on Oct. 24 — crossing via the new Yalu River bridge — and meeting Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, rather than Xi, put the probability of a North Korea-US summit at "virtually zero."

On the US midterm elections, Yoon said he expected the Democratic Party to win.

Asked about the possibility of conservative consolidation ahead of the general election in two years, Yoon said any alliance "should be built around shared values and vision, not around individual figures," warning that a personality-driven approach would breed "mutual distrust and grievances" and devolve into a "power struggle."

When asked about a potential alliance among Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok — referred to as the "Oh-Dong-Seok alliance" — Yoon pushed back, asking why People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok was being left out. "I'd like to call the Oh-Dong-Seok-Jang alliance 'Band Together Stronger' — a BTS alliance," Yoon said.

Yoon went on to say that for the BTS alliance to take shape, "a political platform and space must be opened up, and Jang must step forward." Yoon added: "I have been continuously asking Jang to take on platform leadership."

On the People Power Party convention set for August next year, Yoon said it "must not become a battleground for presidential contenders," arguing it would be better to elect a leadership focused on managing and winning the general election.