SOUTH Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang tomorrow.

The meeting will run for three days, concluding on September 20, in what will be the pair’s third summit of the year.

But experts are doubtful over whether the elephant in the room — Mr Kim’s nuclear weapons arsenal — will get a mention.

It was just over three months ago that United States President Donald Trump historically met face-to-face with Mr Kim in Singapore, where the pair signed a joint statement agreeing to new peaceful relations and reaffirmation of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

But is it even going anywhere?

WHY DOES THIS SUMMIT MATTER?

Remember all those iconic photos of Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in being all loved-up in front of the cameras back in April?

This was an iconic moment in international relations — particularly for a country that’s been separated by war for almost 70 years.

But the upcoming third summit will mark Mr Moon’s first ever visit to Pyongyang, and the first trip by a South Korean leader in more than a decade.

He will be bringing a host of business leaders from South Korean firms, including Samsung, Hyundai motor, LG and Posco, a steel company, as they prepare for potential investments, should sanctions on the North be lifted.

Their first meeting took place at the border village of Panmunjom, where Mr Kim committed to the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”.

But with this summit, Mr Moon will face his toughest challenge yet: delivering something substantive that goes beyond previous vague statements on denuclearisation and helps get US-North Korea talks back on track.

Relations between Mr Kim and Mr Trump have fallen stagnant since the June summit, with reports in recent months suggesting the US leader is “privately frustrated” over the pace of North Korea’s denuclearisation efforts.

These doubts haven’t been helped by reports of worrying satellite images showing the completion of expanded key nuclear plants in the hermit nation.

According to Associated Press, Mr Moon will try to get Mr Kim to express more clearly that he’s prepared to abandon his nuclear weapons, which could create momentum for a second Kim-Trump summit.

PROGRESS ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS ‘UNLIKELY’

According to Dr James Reilly, associate professor in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney, this summit will hold symbolic importance.

“I think for Moon, it’s an important moment in his process of engaging with the North. For Moon it’d be very nice to have a successful summit, and to show the engagement strategy is on track,” he told news.com.au. “He’ll be seeking an agreement on joint cooperation, getting on track with the progress of joint projects.”

These projects include reuniting families separated by the Korean War, and opening a joint liaison office inside the Kaesong Industrial Complex, located just north of the border.

This office will allow for direct communication between North and South Korea, with a presidential office spokesperson describing it as “a stout bridge connecting two Koreas”.

But while nuclear weapons might appear to be the elephant in the room, Dr Reilly doesn’t see them playing as big a role as you might think. “More ambitiously, he’d be very happy to secure some kind of agreement in the North with regards to their nuclear program, but I think that’s unlikely to see significant change.”

According to Dr Reilly, the best Mr Moon can hope for is improving the local situation.

“My assessment of the denuclearisation process is that it’s not moving very forward. If we look at what North Korea has reiterated, it’s that, ‘We have our nuclear weapon state. We have completed the nuclear weapon. We don’t need to test further. We are in favour of eventual denuclearisation.’

“The proposal with China from a little over a year ago was a freeze-for-freeze, and Kim Jong-un has pursued his side of the bargain. North Korea is consistent on that front.”

HOW MOON’S FATE COULD REST ON THIS MEETING

World peace isn’t the only thing that hangs in the balance here. According to some critics, Mr Moon’s very own legacy could depend on this summit.

Youkyung Lee, a Bloomberg reporter specialising in the Korean Peninsula, says this summit could “make or break” the South Korean leader’s reputation.

“The goodwill generated from his historic North Korea meetings has been eroded by an economic slump,” she writes. “Home prices are becoming out of reach for Seoul’s middle class, and unemployment in August rose to its highest level in more than eight years.”

Mr Moon’s approval rating slid below 50 per cent for the first time in a Gallup Korea poll on September 7 — down from 83 per cent after his April summit with Mr Kim.

But Dr Reilly warned against overstating the importance of this summit to Mr Moon’s legacy.

“He’s not even halfway into his presidential term. Yes, his popularity ratings are low, particularly with job figures, but I think it’s a little early to say this will make or break his legacy.

“Of course, Moon would like to have a win coming out of this visit though.”

In the meantime, Mr Moon will likely want to keep relations between the US and North Korea as amicable as possible.

Earlier in the week, he said Mr Trump and Mr Kim would need to take “bold actions” to achieve denuclearisation.

“North Korea should abolish its nuclear programs, and the United States should foster such conditions with corresponding action,” he said.

The White House has already expressed its interest in a second summit between Mr Trump and Mr Kim, with Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying it’s “something that we want to take place” and are “currently working to make happen”.