People pose in front of a giant poster of President Moon Jae-in and Nort Korean leader Kim Jong-un near Cheong Wa Dae, Dec. 7. / Yonhap

No confirmation on date and how, but all possibilities open

By Yi Whan-woo

Cheong Wa Dae remained cautious on Sunday about mentioning North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's possible visit as speculation grew stronger that he may arrive in Seoul very soon.

North Korea is also keeping quiet about its leader's possible visit. However, rumors are circulating that talks between the two Koreas about Kim's visit are entering a critical phase.

On Sunday, presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan said there appeared to be "no sign of progress" regarding Kim's visit.

"We have not heard anything from the North yet, and no headway has been made so far," Yoon said in a text message to journalists.

Yoon still underscored that Cheong Wa Dae was "preparing for every scenario" in case Kim decided to come by the end of this year, as he promised during his September summit with President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang.

The statement comes amid speculation that Sunday was the virtual deadline for Kim to confirm whether he will come or not to give the South time to prepare accordingly.

After considering the calendars of both the South and North Korean governments, multiple Cheong Wa Dae officials deemed the last ideal timeframe for Kim's visit was Dec. 18 to 20.

They said it would take at least 10 days to prepare for an inter-Korean summit and therefore receiving an RSVP from Kim by Sunday was critical.

Despite such uncertainties, Cheong Wa Dae has been working with relevant ministries and also the National Assembly to welcome Kim, according to Seoul government sources.

"We can't just wait and do nothing, considering that high-level and working-level meetings will be needed to discuss security, protocol, media coverage and other details," a source said.

The source claimed the preparation was necessary, because even if Kim does not make it this year, he might come at the start of next year.

Among Kim's possible stops are trekking Mount Halla and making a speech at the National Assembly.

The possible trek is being reviewed by South Korea officials, in line with President Moon's announcement in October that he would bring Kim to Mount Halla if Kim visited the South.

The idea of Kim delivering a speech at the National Assembly was raised by progressive-minded lawmakers, in response to Moon's speech before 150,000 citizens in Pyongyang during the September summit.

"The National Assembly appears to be most appropriate place for Kim to share his thoughts with the South Korean public," a lawmaker said.

Some sources said Cheong Wa Dae was considering taking Kim to areas where South Korea's rapid economic development could be seen, such as N Seoul Tower on the peak of Mount Nam in Seoul and the Samsung Electronics microchip plant in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae denied a media report that Kim would travel to the South from Thursday to Friday. The report came amid rumors that N Seoul Tower, an iconic landmark in Seoul, would take no reservations for sightseeing for Thursday and Friday.

Talks about Kim's possible South Korea trip had been losing momentum due to lack of progress in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

The talks then gained momentum after Moon raised the issue during his Nov. 30 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina.