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National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Lee Jong-seok attends a National Assembly Intelligence Committee audit at NIS headquarters in Naegok-dong, Seoul, on November 4. / Source: Pool photo via Yonhap News

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing for a potential summit with the United States, with March next year emerging as the most likely window after joint U.S.–Korea military exercises conclude.

Rep. Lee Sung-kwon of the People Power Party, the opposition floor leader on the Intelligence Committee, relayed the assessment after the NIS briefed lawmakers during a committee audit held at the agency’s Naegok-dong compound on November 4.

According to the NIS, while a U.S.–North Korea summit did not materialize on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ week, multiple channels indicate Pyongyang is positioning for dialogue with Washington. The service also said it has picked up indications that the U.S. administration has been analyzing the leanings of North Korea’s working-level negotiators.

The NIS added it has observed shifts in Pyongyang’s messaging toward the United States. Since Kim Jong-un’s remarks at the Supreme People’s Assembly in September about the possibility of conditional dialogue, North Korea has appeared to dial back direct references to nuclear armament.

It also noted President Donald Trump has publicly signaled a willingness to meet Kim during his Asia tour, a development drawing attention in Seoul.

Following Trump’s comments, North Korea weighed Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s potential visits to China and Russia while keeping dialogue options open, the NIS assessed. It believes Kim holds an intention to engage the United States and could move to make contact once conditions allow.