Seoul, Oct 24 (NationPress) South Korea's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back conducted an inspection on Friday to evaluate the country's security and safety preparedness for attendees of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, scheduled for next week, according to officials.

Ahn visited the Security Safety Control Group and the military's Operations Command responsible for safeguarding participants at this significant event, taking place from October 31 to November 1 in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

The Security Safety Control Group is a dedicated unit established to ensure the safety of heads of state, delegates, and other attendees at the impending summit.

Ahn emphasized the group's function as the central control tower for ensuring safety and urged tight collaboration with pertinent agencies including the military, the Presidential Security Service, and the National Intelligence Service.

Ahn called on the military to exert maximum effort to guarantee there are no security breaches during the event.

Earlier that day, South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young urged the leaders of North Korea and the United States not to squander a vital opportunity for dialogue during next week's APEC gathering in South Korea.

US President Donald Trump's anticipated visit to South Korea on October 29-30 for the APEC event has sparked speculation regarding a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, although the likelihood of such a meeting appears minimal.

"The leaders of North Korea and the US should not overlook this opportunity. They must make a decision," Chung informed reporters, suggesting that if actualized, a Kim-Trump meeting could pave the way for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

He noted that it would become significantly more challenging for North Korea and the US to arrange a meeting between their leaders logistically if they miss this chance for discussions in South Korea.

Trump had three previous encounters with Kim during his first term: two summit meetings, one in Singapore in June 2018 and another in Hanoi in February 2019, along with a brief meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

Chung mentioned that there is no verified information about ongoing communications between North Korea and the US but indicated that there are signs suggesting both sides might be preparing for potential talks.

The minister pointed to North Koreans seen performing cleanup tasks near their facility at Panmunjom and noted the UN Command's suspension of trips to the truce village until next week.

“At Panmunjom, there were indications of North Koreans conducting cleanup activities, including weeding, gardening, and photography,” Chung stated, highlighting that these signs have emerged within the past week.

“This is the first instance this year that North Korea has been observed engaging in cleanup operations at the truce village.”