South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chun said that it is time for the government to make its best efforts to realize a new summit between North Korea and the United States at an earlier date.

The minister made the remarks on Sunday while appearing on a KBS program.

Regarding the possibility of a fourth summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the minister said he can be neither optimistic nor pessimistic at the moment.

He said that it would be great if the leaders of the two Koreas hold a summit before President Trump visits South Korea late this month, but it is hard to be optimistic about the prospect under the current circumstances.

As for the format of food aid for North Korea, the minister said that the government is considering aid through international organization.