Prospects for Trump-Kim meeting around China trip appear low

Prospects for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un around the former's planned visit to China in April appear low as Washington remains focused on conflicts in the Middle East, diplomatic sources said Thursday. Earlier in the day, Chung Eui-hae, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, held talks with Michael DeSombre, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, during his visit to Seoul. The two officials touched on North Korean issues but did not delve deeply into the topic, as the allies focused primarily on implementing their bilateral joint fact sheet on trade and security cooperation, according to a foreign ministry official familiar with the matter. "North Korea remains an important issue, but the United States is currently dealing with a number of pressing matters, including developments in the Middle East," the official said on condition of anonymity. "My impression was that while Washington continues to pay attention to North Korea, it is not an atmosphere in which the U.S. is putting forward new plans