The DPRK and the US have been involved in give-and-take negotiations since the historic summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in June opened up dialogue on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula between the two countries after months of military threats.

But the pair seems to be at a dead end.

Negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have made little progress in the past few months, as differences between the two sides remained over the scale of denuclearization, US sanctions, and whether to issue a war-ending declaration.

In a situation when no one is willing to take a step back, Korea University professor Lee Jung-nam believes that everyone should count on the ROK side.