U.S. President Trump said on Aug. 19 he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year; the Wall Street Journal reported he is considering holding the meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November. At a regular press briefing on Aug. 20, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said he had no specific information on U.S.-North Korea contacts and would not comment.

On Aug. 19 Iran’s parliament speaker visited Baghdad and urged a regional order without external interference. Iraq’s president met the speaker, saying Baghdad backs ending regional conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, stressed protecting national sovereignty, avoiding escalation and minimizing use of force. Iraq’s parliamentary speaker said Iraq is among the countries most affected by current regional tensions and urged Iran to recognise the special nature of bilateral ties and provide special arrangements for Iraqi oil exports via the Strait of Hormuz to protect Iraq’s economic interests.

Market sources: SK Hynix has reached a preliminary agreement with its union on wages and bonuses.