Time for Kim and Trump to start putting together plans

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Vietnam is currently hosting a summit between Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

After the first summit in Singapore, critics said it failed to produce any concrete actions when it comes to the DPRK's nuclear weapons program.

Expectations this time are arguably a little bit higher with both sides expected to build on their agreement toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"The DPRK leader is hoping that by the power of his personality, he'll be able to continue this romance with President Trump. But it's time for the love letters to stop. And it's time to start negotiating some specific roadmaps for the future," Harvey Dzodin, senior fellow of the Center for China and Globalization, told CGTN's Liu Xin.

Zhao Tong, a fellow from the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, believes the top-down negotiation approach will produce some important, positive results.

He thinks it's important that the two leaders seem to have built some personal chemistry. However, a lack of trust has hindered further progress after the Singapore meeting. Without trust, the DPRK is unable to take the next step. He mentioned that the U.S. has long asked for a comprehensive release of the DPRK's nuclear missiles and has been putting a lot of pressure on the DPRK to deliver real progress.

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As for the DPRK side, it can, according to Zhao, possibly take a step forward as there are possibilities for a partial or an even complete dismantlement of Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center with the presence of international inspectors.

Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, located about 100 kilometers north of the capital, has been regarded as the symbol of the DPRK's nuclear program.

"Closing this complex or completely dismantling it could really restrict the DPRK's nuclear capability," said Zhao, "but we don't know how far the DPRK is willing to go in that direction."

The first-ever meeting between the two leaders took place in Singapore in June 2018.

The two sides signed a joint statement, agreeing on major issues such as building new peaceful relations, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and follow-up negotiations between high-level officials.

Dzodin pointed out that people were very disappointed about the first summit as they had huge expectations. "The first meeting is just for show. This time both sides have to deliver something," he said.

Steve Biegun, the U.S. Special Representative for the DPRK once said in the speech in late January that, "I have this perfect outcome moment where the last nuclear weapon leaves North Korea (DPRK), the sanctions are lifted, the flag goes up in the embassy and the treaty is signed in the same hour."

"It is an impossible dream," said Dzodin, believing that the DPRK will never give up nuclear weapons as a means to secure themselves. Dzodin argues that the process has to be in an incremental, step-by-step manner.

Talking about China's role in this summit, Zhao said, this time China's role is more implicit than explicit in terms of providing support for the process.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)