SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States signed a joint statement here Tuesday during their summit, touching on issues including denuclearization and security assurances. But experts commented that the document failed to include concrete measures, and urged continued efforts toward achieving a lasting peace.
In the joint statement signed between DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. leader committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Diao Daming, an associate professor with China's Renmin University, said that the document didn't include specific details on what measures the two sides would take to achieve denuclearization and provide security guarantees, and how would they push forward relations.
Yet Diao acknowledged the latest development demonstrated that a certain degree of consensus had been reached between Pyongyang and Washington. "This provides a basis and starting point for future consultations and interactions at various levels," Diao said.
Lee Sang-man, professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in South Korea, told Xinhua that contents of the joint statement were below expectation and a little bit disappointing. According to the professor, there was vague mention of denuclearization in the document, similar to that in the Panmunjom Declaration issued at the inter-Korean summit in April.
Lee, however, noted that the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue can't be solved through one meeting, given its complexity and long history. He urged follow-up talks and steps with relevant parties, like China and South Korea, to successfully solve the problem.
Zheng Yongnian, a Singapore-based scholar, said that the results of the summit were within expectations and offered "a good beginning."
Zheng, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, said that China had played a constructive role in making the summit happen, and would play an even bigger role in the future.
"If the DPRK focuses on economic development, China's experience from its reform and opening-up policy over the last 40 years could prove helpful," he said.
The Singapore summit, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a DPRK top leader, also saw the two sides commit to developing a new mode of DPRK-U.S. relations and promoting peace, prosperity and security on the Korean Peninsula.
Chung Dong-young, a former South Korea unification minister, told Xinhua prior to the summit that the DPRK basically didn't trust the United States, and worried about security guarantees by the U.S. side. He added that mutual distrust could be overcome with words and actions.
On Tuesday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said he hoped leaders of the DPRK and the United States would strive toward denuclearization and establishing a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula.
The senior Chinese official added that China would continue to play a constructive role in this regard.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a statement issued after the summit that "building upon the agreement reached today, we will take a new path going forward."
Moon noted that the summit was only the beginning, with the possibility of numerous difficulties ahead. "But we will never go back to the past again and never give up on this bold journey," he said.
