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The Panmunjom summit this past June helped lay fresh ground for both North Korea and the US in terms of reinitiating the denuclearization negotiations between them. The official position of the US has always emphasized CVID (Complete, Verifiable, Irreversible Denuclearization) and FFVD (Final Verified Denuclearization) on the Korean Peninsula, which was the basis that they relied on for their negotiations with Kim in Hanoi. However, Jihwan Hwang, a professor at the University of Seoul, notes that North Korea believes in peace "preceding" denuclearization—a different approach than that of US. This is one of the reasons why Choi Sun Hee, vice minister of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Kim "did not understand the US method of calculating the denuclearization." Dr. Hwang remarks that if the dilemma between peace and denuclearization is not resolved, "the breakdown in Hanoi may be repeated in the future" and strongly argues for a "simultaneous approach that guarantees the regime with denuclearization procedures." [Read Commentary]
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