By The South Asia Times

SEOUL - North Korea is unlikely to attend next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China, reducing the prospects of a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a South Korean presidential official said Thursday.

The official said the possibility of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang could not be completely ruled out, but the chances remained low.

"It would be difficult to say there is zero possibility of talks between North Korea and the United States, but I think the probability might not be high," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

The remarks come amid speculation that Trump could meet Kim during the APEC summit, scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday in Shenzhen, China. Trump has repeatedly expressed willingness to meet the North Korean leader.

However, the South Korean official said Pyongyang was particularly unlikely to participate in the multilateral gathering and that prospects for talks between the two leaders during the summit were slim.

The official also said a possible meeting involving Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the APEC gathering could not be ruled out.

Trump earlier this week raised the possibility of meeting Xi and Putin at the summit, with discussions potentially covering North Korea's denuclearization and efforts to end the war in Iran.

The South Korean official said issues concerning the Korean Peninsula could also feature in such discussions.

Meanwhile, the official said discussions between Seoul and Washington over South Korea's efforts to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops from the United States were progressing well, despite questions about the possible impact of recent U.S. midterm election results.

On regional security, the official also explained South Korea's plan to expand the operational scope of its anti-piracy Cheonghae naval unit, currently deployed off the Somali coast, to waters closer to the Strait of Hormuz.

The move aims to protect South Korean nationals and vessels and contribute to international efforts to safeguard freedom of navigation, the official said.

The unit would be permitted to exercise self-defence at the minimum necessary level in emergencies but would not participate in war or combat operations or operate under a different command structure.

Earlier this week, South Korea's Cabinet approved a bill seeking parliamentary consent to extend the Cheonghae unit's operational area to waters south of Oman in the Arabian Sea, closer to the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

The bill will now be submitted to the National Assembly for approval.

The developments come as regional and international leaders prepare for the APEC summit, which is expected to provide an important platform for discussions on trade, security and major geopolitical challenges.