we are back on bbc world news, covering the summit between north korea and south korea. this is the first time kim jong—un and moon jae—in our meeting, the first summit between the two countries. kim jong—un will become the first north korean leader to cross the border since the korean war. sorry, professor, i just interrupted since the korean war. sorry, professor, ijust interrupted you. there are some critics who are sceptical, who are worried that this summit between the two very unpredictable men, kim jong—un and donald trump, could go wrong. what is your view? yes, thus far, as you said, the unpredictability of the political leaders can, conducive to the happening of the historic summit, both recognise that there

are bargaining leverage —— recognise the bargaining leverage of the counterpart, and they hope they can make good the meeting in the summit. and from now, from the... at the summit table, an productivity is transformed from an asset into a liability. instead, mr trump, transformed from an asset into a liability. instead, mrtrump, as well as mr kimjong—un, will try liability. instead, mrtrump, as well as mr kim jong—un, will try to make some very credible commitments, especially for the denuclearisation timetable. and possibly there are some differences in opinion about how to did give —— denuclearise the weapons or other programmes. the

other thing is how to narrow the differences between the two nations, and try to have some practical and feasible and executable implementation action plans. making this kind of action plan is the priority for the us at the north korean summit, and i think both leaders were well recognise the high sta kes leaders were well recognise the high stakes of, for example, the failure of that summit. so i think once again cautiously optimistic about the good results of the us— north korea summit. at this is not the first time that we are talking about trying to get north korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. for viewers who are not familiar with it, can you talk us through some of the progress that we have made in the past, and yet it didn't really materialise? basically until this

time, north korea has stayed at the very low level of confidence about the nuclear capability. so that is why they tried very hard to test their nuclear weapons, as well as launch the missile. so this time i think is somehow different for the posture of north korea, in the sense that they ambitiously declared the completion of nuclear capability, and in their words, they have become and in their words, they have become a strategic state, in the sense that they can have the incredible deterrence against any kind of aggression from the us rok our lives. so in a sense they have confidence around the negotiating table, and this is the sweet spot

for them to make maximum concessions from the united states, as well as south korea. so this is i think the most opportune... a good opportunity to make a productive and fruitful result. and if we miss this opportunity, then military tension will increase, and the unique style of mrtrump will increase, and the unique style of mr trump would not improve bargaining. so both know that this is high stakes, and they will make some workable solutions from this. professor, thank you so much for your time this morning. we are watching live footage of south korean president moon jae—in watching live footage of south korean president moonjae—in in his car with his delegations on their way to meet with the north korean

leader, kim jong—un. this way to meet with the north korean leader, kimjong—un. this is the first summit between these two men. this is not the first time, though, that the leaders of the two careers oui’ that the leaders of the two careers our meeting. the last summit took place in 2007, the one before that happened in 2000. but kimjong—un will become the first north korean leader to cross the border since the korean war. the two countries agreed the truce at the end of the korean war ini953, but the truce at the end of the korean war in 1953, but technically speaking the two countries are still at war. so the question is whether president moon and kim jong—un can come to a peace treaty, to officially end the korean war, and officially end the korean war, and of course, the big question is whether south korea can convince kim jong—un to give up nuclear weapons. we have seen six nuclear tests by

north korea, and many, many missile tests in recent years. and the progress has been very speedy. 0nly six months ago, late last year, tensions between north korea and the rest of the world were very high. we had north korean leader kimjong—un calling donald trump, the us president, dotard, and we had mr trump calling kim jong—un president, dotard, and we had mr trump calling kimjong—un little rocket man. and kimjong—un indicated he might consider sending north korean delegations to the winter olympics in south korea in march. since then, we have seen some very rapid progress in diplomacy. 0f course, there have been lots of effo rts course, there have been lots of efforts made by both countries, and of course, we had the meeting between president xijinping of

china and president kimjong—un. and ina bauer‘s time, the two leaders of the careers will be starting their summit. this is very historic in that sense that kim jong—un will become the first leader to cross the border into the south korean territory since the end of the korean war. and the of this summit, we have seen some softening of the image portrayed by the state media of north korea of kimjong—un. we started to not see kim jong—un smoking cigarettes, even though we have known him to be a very heavy smoker. we had kimjong—un‘s wife being referred to as the first lady, i guess in a similar way that the

first lady is in the united states 01’ first lady is in the united states or south korea are referred to. and it is not just or south korea are referred to. and it is notjust all politics today here in south korea. we have a banquet dinner ready, and there has been lots of speculation initially on what they will be eating. we are watching live footage, of course, of the cars of president moonjae—in of south korea, heading to the summit between himself and north korean leader kim jong—un. they are on their way to cross the bridge just behind us, to meet with the north korean leader. but as i was saying, it is not just korean leader. but as i was saying, it is notjust the politics at the summit. we have seen some announcements from the blue house, the south korean presidential office, of the menu of what the two

leaders will be eating, and we are expecting them to serve some swedish dish of potato to remind kimjong—un of his schooling time in switzerland, even though north korea has never confirmed that he went to school there. we also have the north korean dish of noodles being served at the dinner as well. there has been some controversy, as well, of the desert that is going to be served, that it shows the map of the unified korean peninsula, with some islands that japan claims as well. so we had some complaints made from the japanese government about it as well. not all in all, this is a very historic and symbolic summit between the leaders of the two careers. south korean president moonjae—in and north korean leader kimjong—un. the progress has been very, very

rapid. 0nly the progress has been very, very rapid. only at the beginning of the year, we heard north ‘that f “k; vkimjung ,,.., ,.,, ’ “$51; 7 kimjung ,,,. the, f ’ studies ‘ the convoy the 1221‘s; let“; us. 7 to the bridge behind us. we have some opinions being split of what those two leaders can achieve. are you hopeful that they can come to some kind of a peace treaty agreements, officially end the war, and possibly get kim jong—un to officially commit to potentially

give up his nuclear weapons, or at least halt nuclear tests, which they have done temporarily? yes, so as i said, iam have done temporarily? yes, so as i said, i am cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the summit. and the... possibly they can make an agreement in which not, say, a peace treaty, but actually the de facto peace treaty, a declaration of a peace treaty, a declaration of a peace regime can be achieved by some good negotiations between the two. so hopefully that is one possible result of this summit. a more attention should be on the so—called denuclearisation issue. and in the shadow of the us north korean

summit, ithink shadow of the us north korean summit, i think president moon jae—in should focus more on the denuclearisation issue, and try to set some timetable for the denuclearisation programme, and the issues. so a peace treaty is one issue, but more important is how to make a workable solution for the denuclearisation issue. that is the main focus of the summit. as i was saying earlier, it is notjust about politics, is it? it is interesting that in south korea you have the tradition of serving meals too, i guess, mention how significant this is, and we have had some information about north korean dishes of cold noodles being served, and a swiss dish as well. were you surprised when you saw some of the details of that? yes, so especially for the

moonjae—in government, that? yes, so especially for the moon jae—in government, they that? yes, so especially for the moonjae—in government, they are very good at preparing this kind of event. and they are very detailed and diligent in getting some necessary information by which they can make some surprises, not only for the domestic audience, but also the international audience. so in a sense, i predict some kind of good meals will be provided for president moonjae—in, as well as kim jong—un. so that is not that surprising for me. and i understand that some north korean liquor will be served as well, so they might have some fun time as well. and 0 so much for joining us as part of our continuous coverage of this into korean summit. —— inter—korean. we are seeing some

live footage of the convoy of south korean president moon jae—in live footage of the convoy of south korean president moonjae—in on their way to meet with kim jong—un for the first time that these two men will be meeting, though there have been two meetings in the past, in 2000 and 2007, between the two leaders of the careers. i can now bring injenny leaders of the careers. i can now bring in jenny town. leaders of the careers. i can now bring injenny town. thank you so much forjoining us. we havejust been talking about this summit, how opinions are split, whether they can come to some kind of a peace treaty to end the war and potentially even get north korea to give up their nuclear weapons. what is your view? how optimistic are you? these are two issues that are not bilateral issues. certainly they can come up with ideas and they will come up with ideas and they will come up with some commitments in order to

pursue this further. the actual details and the actual policies on how to implement them will be things that will be negotiated on a broader scale, especially with us involvement and chinese involvement. it's one thing to stop the tests and one things the kim jong—un to give up one things the kim jong—un to give up nuclear weapons. late last year, tensions were high. analysts thought we we re tensions were high. analysts thought we were on the brink of a war. and suddenly we heard from kim jong—un saying that he was possibly sending north korean delegations and then we have seen some rapid progress of diplomacy. what in your view changed

mr kim's mind? it was a combination of factors. we saw late last year, kim jong—un demonstrated an of factors. we saw late last year, kimjong—un demonstrated an h—bomb and icbm capabilities. so as far as the policy goes, the nucleoside of this. they were reiterated for the speech. we have completed this part. this does allow them to have broader negotiating flexibility. there is a lot more that he can give up to give up lot more that he can give up to give up some of the political will in relations that have soured. he no longer has to demonstrate these capabilities. things like putting a

freeze on testing. even now, he is willing to shut down fissile material production. he can give these up very easily without getting to the bulk of the programme and saving that for later. president donald trump of the united states would say he can take care of rapid progress. the north korean economy is now in the weakest state. can president trump take credit for it? all sides can take credit for it. a number of factors have led to where

we are today. sanctions do play a role. we have seen some signs, they have been especially affecting the fringes of society. even if it hasn't started to affect the elite. moonjae—in hasn't started to affect the elite. moon jae—in can take hasn't started to affect the elite. moonjae—in can take some credit for opening the door to diplomacy and allowing this diplomacy to start on an issue that was on security related. transforming that into a broader security dialogue. providing that venue, it does open up doors for north korea to take a different posture and provides the friends we re posture and provides the friends were hoping to see last year as tensions were rising. china as well, by being able to do more and put more pressure on north korea, certainly there was a lot of incentive for north korea. came back

to the table on its own terms as well. in a position of more strength. and at the debt ——a position where it feels it has more strategic parity with the big powers in order to have more balanced negotiations. jenny, it's all good and well that we are seeing some rapid progress and probably going to see some smiles and handshakes today. that's not to say that the aren't unresolved issues. north korea is accused of some serious human rights abuse and some critics of the summit have been saying that moonjae—in should bring the issue up moonjae—in should bring the issue up during the summit. do you think he will and will they talk about it? it probably will to some degree. just as president trump will to some degree. i think you do... with the

issue... inaudible. inaudible. we seem issue... inaudible. inaudible. we seem to be having a bit of an audio problem. jenny town, managing editor of the north korean website 38 north, joining a slide from washington. i can bring in our correspondence rupert wingfield—hayes who has been to north korea and got detained by the regime. talk us through, for viewers who have not followed that story. what was your experience like? going to north korea is always an unusual

experience because it tightly controlled. the north korean government what wants to get —— wa nts to government what wants to get —— wants to get its view and its message and version of history out to the world. foreign journalists going under a lot of pressure to do that and not to be overly critical of the regime. there, we broadcast a lot from pyongyang in the run—up to the first party congress when kim jong—un was about to be anointed as the supreme leader. we did quite a lot of critical reporting in pyongyang. that is always a bit of a risk. we thought it was a reasonable risk. we thought it was a reasonable risk. when i attempted to leave north korea, i was detained at the airport, taken by state security to airport, taken by state security to a hotel, an old hotel and in

interrogated through the night. they wa nted interrogated through the night. they wanted me to confess that i had insulted the regime and the people of north korea, to write a written confession and i think what they we re confession and i think what they were doing, it's quite a frightening experience. i was then expelled. what they were doing, was making a point to the otherjournalists, that they should toe the line of report positively. it is controlling the message. north korea is very hard line about controlling the message. they will go to quite extreme lengths to, as they did with me, pressure or expel people they don't like, but they don't think are reporting their version of events or of history. i think that's what happened. it's unfortunate. we would like to be able to go back but that

is what happened. things have changed quickly. we are seeing moon jae—in's convoy to meet with kim jong—un. they are crossing the bridge shortly. in your view, as you say, the north korean state does this thing quite carefully. why the sudden change, why the rapid change and progress that we have seen? there was a news helicopter right behind us. i suspect that 38 north's motorcade is getting close. he will come up the highway behind us. you will see that bridge. he will cross that bridge over there into what is the demilitarised zone that he will drive two kilometres from where we are standing, a cross bridge. that is the demilitarised zone across the

river and he will drive through their to the village where the peace treaty was signed in 1953, in the village of panmunjeom. that is the beginning of his motorcade. with this military helicopter following as well. we are now seeing the convoy crossing the bridge behind us. convoy crossing the bridge behind us. live footage of moonjae—in of south korea to meet with kim jong—un. they will be meeting in about 30 minutes time. the two countries are still technically at war. the question of peace treaty has been brought up. are we hopeful something will come out of this? your earlier question about what has

changed. all of us who have been watching north korea over the last few years, i've been here in this region since 2012, it's been a period of extreme tension. especially last year. november, i was standing on us aircraft carrier off the coast of korea with three carrier battle groups. people were talking seriously about a military strike against north korea. beeliar four months later. moonjae—in about to meet with kim jong—un four months later. moonjae—in about to meet with kimjong—un on four months later. moonjae—in about to meet with kim jong—un on the board is here to talk about denuclearisation and the possibility ofa denuclearisation and the possibility of a peace treaty. it does appear to be an incredibly dramatic and rapid change of atmosphere. the real question is, have any of the fundamentals changed ? does

question is, have any of the fundamentals changed? does he really wa nt to fundamentals changed? does he really want to give them up in return for a peace treaty with the south, diplomatic relations with the united states opening the country to foreign investment. we are all engaged in educated guessing. there isa engaged in educated guessing. there is a big professional north korea watching community here in the south, and elsewhere in south korea. in the last few days, i've been talking to a number of people in that community. i had to say, the view is deeply divided. there are those who think given what is said in the last few weeks, he was really fea rful of in the last few weeks, he was really fearful of a military strike and secondly, he really does want to move north korea towards economic development. there are more who are deeply sceptical of this process.

rupert, we are now seeing the live footage from where the two leaders will be meeting. they will meet at 9:30am local time in just will be meeting. they will meet at 9:30am local time injust over half an hourand 9:30am local time injust over half an hour and they will have some welcoming ceremony before they officially start the summit. i guess the economy also takes a huge part in this, doesn't it? china, which is of course north korea's key trading partner, implementing some strong sanctions. president trump would like to take credit for that. he said he has been praised for the success of the winter olympics were north korea sent its delegations. can he take some credit for this progress? that is certainly part of the picture. a number of things happen. president trump's threats of military action was starting to

sound like they really might be something that he would be willing to do. the people i have talked to, there was real concern in north korea that they may be on the verge of some sort of military strike. the second thing is, china came on board with much tougher sanctions. china got extremely irritated. china is kim jong—un's only friend and ally in his firing of ballistic missiles last year and that huge nuclear test in september last year really upset beijing. president xijoined in in september last year really upset beijing. president xi joined in with the really tough sanctions which we re the really tough sanctions which were going to make it hard for north korea. everybody thought this would start to really take its toll on the north korean economy. the regime in

north korean economy. the regime in north korea, kim jong—un north korean economy. the regime in north korea, kimjong—un himself thought, possible military strike down the road, economic hardship. we need to find some way to ease this pressure. looking for a possible way forward , pressure. looking for a possible way forward, the administration here in south korea is probably the most pro— engagement government there has beenin pro— engagement government there has been in north korea, certainly in the last ten years but some said to me, the most pro— engagement governments there has ever been so this is the path they have taken, engagement between the two countries. then leading on to engagement with the united states. rupert wingfield—hayes, thank you to joining us today. we are continuing our special coverage of the summit between moonjae—in our special coverage of the summit between moon jae—in and our special coverage of the summit between moonjae—in and kim jong—un.

you can special coverage bbc. welcome back to our viewers on bbc news america. we are continuing our live coverage on the historic summit between south korean resident moon jae—in and north korean leader kim jong—un. —— president. we are seeing live footage of the peace house where the two leaders are expected to meet injust where the two leaders are expected to meet in just about half an hour ‘s time. they will have some welcoming ceremony before officially starting the summit. this is the third time that the leaders of the two korea's are meeting. the last summit took place in 2007 and the one before in 2000.