<Anchor>

Attention is now turning to the possibility of a North Korea-US summit. Let's connect to Washington to check the atmosphere.

Correspondent Lee Hanseok, is there any official reaction from the White House?

<Reporter>

Yes, the White House has not yet issued an official comment.

President Trump's social media is also quiet.

With it still being early morning in Washington and in the absence of official announcements from both China and North Korea, a cautious mood prevails, suggesting restraint from hasty reactions.

Washington's diplomatic and security circles are also withholding official remarks while closely monitoring the current situation, focusing on tracking Chairman Kim's travel route and final destination.

<Anchor>

Can we assume that the possibility of a North Korea-US summit is now viewed more favorably in the US?

<Reporter>

Yes, a few days ago, when asked about the possibility of North Korea-US dialogue, President Trump drew a line by saying he did not know.

This differed from his previous conciliatory gestures, leading to interpretations that a summit might be difficult to achieve. However, whether Chairman Kim Jong-un meets with Xi Jinping during this visit to China is likely to be a key variable.

The US and Chinese presidents are set to meet again at the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November. If Chairman Kim meets Xi Jinping first ahead of this, the likelihood of discussing the North Korea-US summit issue increases.

Indeed, ahead of both the 2018 Singapore summit and the 2019 Hanoi summit, Chairman Kim invariably visited China first right before meeting President Trump.

However, there are also projections that North Korea may not actively pursue a North Korea-US summit while neutralizing international sanctions through closer ties with Russia and China.

<Anchor>

Could Kim Jong-un's visit to China also impact the US midterm elections?

<Reporter>

Yes, from the Republican perspective, expectations for North Korea-US dialogue could be utilized as a defensive card to rally supporters by presenting it as Trump's diplomatic achievement.

However, the biggest issues in the midterm elections are livelihood matters such as inflation and the cost of living.

Moreover, voters who witnessed the breakdown of the past Hanoi summit suffer from considerable fatigue, leading to analyses that mere moves to resume contact, without tangible outcomes like North Korea's denuclearization, will struggle to influence voter sentiment.

(Live reporting: Oh Jung-shik, Video editing: Jeong Yong-hwa)