( EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on May 21 ) Time to be sincerePresident Moon Jae - in will have his third summit with U . S . President Donald Trump at the White House . The meeting on Tuesday carries great significance after North Korea raised the possibility of boycotting the Jun . 12 summit between Kim Jong - un and Trump in Singapore . The two allies ’ urgent 20 - minute telephone conversation on Sunday reaffirmed their hopes for a successful Trump - Kim summit next month . Trump has been floating the so - called Libyan model — denuclearization first and compensation later — with regards to the issue . After Pyongyang opposed it , Trump stepped back and mentioned a “ Korean model , ” in which North Korea will be “ tremendously industrious ” and receive “ very adequate protection ” if Kim agrees to denuclearization . Trump also threatened that if Pyongyang refuses denuclearization , the Libyan model could be revived . “ In Libya , we decimated that country , ” he warned . Trump ’ s denuclearization solution is not that different from ours . But we cannot rule out the possibility of the U . S . president claiming a “ successful summit ” after striking a deal with Kim to suspend ICBM launches while leaving intact the threats from North Korea ’ s short - and intermediate - range missiles aimed at South Korea . That would be the worse - case scenario for South Korea . President Moon was able to persuade Kim to agree to “ complete denuclearization ” in his Apr . 27 summit . Based on the achievements , Moon must draw up a joint strategy for a successful summit between Trump and Kim . What counts most here is principles . Both leaders must not lower hurdles for North Korea . Based on their firm principle of complete , verifiable and irreversible dismantlement , they must demand the North scrap all of its nuclear materials and facilities and convince Pyongyang that if it complies , its security will be ensured along with generous economic aid . Kim must face reality . He already agreed to “ complete denuclearization ” with Moon . It is not the time for Pyongyang to backpedal on its earlier vows after finding fault with details of the negotiation . A historic opportunity for talks with Uncle Sam will only vanish if it continues to criticize the annual South Korea - U . S . joint drills , call for North Korean defectors who worked at a restaurant in China to be repatriated and threaten to cancel the Trump - Kim summit . All the answers lie in denuclearization . Only if Kim shows sincerity can North Korea enjoy prosperity . ( END )