ANKARA

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Friday called on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump to hold talks for peace on the Korean Peninsula, as the latter is scheduled to visit the East Asian country next week, according to officials.

Chung, who was addressing a news conference at the Ministry of Unification, said the two leaders should not miss this opportunity for dialogue on the occasion of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in South Korea.

"The leaders of North Korea and the US should not miss this opportunity. They should make a decision," Chung said, adding that if the North Korean and US leaders meet, it will pave the way for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Trump will visit the southeastern South Korean city of Gyeongju on Oct. 29 and 30.

On Monday, the Ministry of Unification said that field trips to the truce village of Panmunjom will be suspended from the end of this month until the beginning of November, amid speculation that Trump may hold talks with Kim.

There is no official confirmation from any side regarding the possible meeting, though Pyongyang has said it can happen if the US accepts the nuclear status of North Korea.

Trump last visited South Korea in June 2019, during his first term, when he met Kim in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Panmunjom.

Trump and Kim held three summits between 2018 and 2019 -- the first in Singapore, then in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and later at the DMZ.

Separately, the South Korean military on Friday said that two North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean border on Oct. 19. The latest claim comes a day after Seoul said about 20 North Korean troops made a similar incursion on the same day that prompted warning shots from South Korean forces.