Live interview with RT on 7 June, 2018
My take since the beginning of the North Korean crisis has remained unchanged. The only external threat for Kim's regime is from the United States. Learning from the unproductive outcome of the Six Party Talks, any deal must be based on step-by-step phased reciprocation of real outcomes.
This is supported by advice of a former Iranian nuclear negotiator. In light of President Trump's unpredictable capriciousness and the possibility that such deal may well be overturned by a future US president, Kim is unlikely to give up entirely his nuclear insurance policy without anchoring the deal with the UN Security Council, ratification by the US Congress and realization of his goals of regime legitimacy, economic progress, and acceptance by the global economic community.
An expert panel discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington D.C., on 7 June, 2018 throws more light on the Trump-Kim historic summit from North Korean and US perspectives. Somewhat surprisingly, towards the end of the discussion, there are, in my view, rather far-fetched suggestions that the security guarantee Kim seeks could include impossible demands for US protection against attacks by third countries or even regime change sought by his own people.