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By Tom Cheshire, Asia correspondent

Over the last few days a range of strange and rarely used terms have been uttered without any care as to whether anyone understands what they mean.

The US-North Korea summit held in Vietnam provided a chance for both countries to improve their relations - but it seems that it was less successful than hoped.

Here, Sky News presents a guide to some of the acronyms and expressions you're likely to have heard:

DPRK/ROK

The official names for the two countries that make up the Korean Peninsula. The North calls itself the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The South is the Republic of Korea (ROK)

Denuclearisation

Both sides have committed to denuclearisation but neither agrees what this means. For the US, it's CVID - complete verifiable irreversible denuclearisation, which must happen before any sanctions are lifted. For the North Korea, it's the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula - which may include the removal of American troops and any US military threat from the South.

The 38th Parallel

After World War II, Korea was freed from Japanese occupation and divided in two along the line of latitude at 38 degrees north, with the Soviet Union occupying the North and the United States the South.

Korean Armistice Agreement

Fighting in the Korean War ended with an armistice, signed in July 1953 by the military commanders of the United Nations Command, the North Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's 'Volunteer' Army. An armistice is not a formal peace treaty, meaning the war has technically never ended.

DMZ

The Demilitarized Zone is the border between North and South Korea, established by the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, and, ironically, heavily fortified. Recently, both sides have removed some guard towers and mines.

End of War Declaration

Suggested as a potential concession in current negotiations, this would be a political declaration that the war is over. It would lack the legal force of a full peace treaty.

Peace Regime

An agreement that would formally end the state of war on the Korean peninsula and attempt to create a full political settlement. This would probably require the US, North Korea, South Korea and China to sign.

Nuclear Facilities

North Korea operates extensive nuclear facilities, for the development and testing of weapons. It says it has destroyed its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri and dismantled some facilities at its missile launch site at Sohae. The shutdown of a uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon, which is still operational, could be a North Korean concession.

Sanctions

The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on North Korea following its first nuclear test in 2006, and has added to them since then, prohibiting the export of many goods and banning money transfers by any UN member. Other countries have imposed their own unilateral sanctions. North Korea wants sanctions lifted as part of the denuclearisation negotiation. The US so far insists North Korea must completely denuclearise first.

Panmunjom Declaration

The agreement signed by South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in April 2018 at Panmunjom, in the DMZ. They agreed to promote common prosperity and the reunification of Korea, to eliminate military tension and the risk of war, and to establish a permanent peace regime on the Korean peninsula.

Singapore Joint Statement

The statement signed by President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un following their first meeting in Singapore, in June 2018. They committed to establish new relations, to build a 'lasting and stable peace regime' on the Korean peninsula, to work toward the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and to recover the remains of soldiers killed or missing in the Korean War.

USFK

United States Forces Korea is the headquarters for US forces in South Korea, numbering 28,500 troops. American troops have been stationed in South Korea since the end of the Korean War.

Joint Exercises

US and South Korean troops have conducted joint large-scale military drills in South Korea for decades. The US has long said they are purely for defensive purposes but North Korea sees them as a provocation. Following the Singapore Summit, President Trump said they would end, although they resumed in November on a much smaller scale.

Byungjin Line + New Strategic Line

In 2013, Kim Jong Un announced the 'Byungin line', a policy of parallel economic and military development - in contrast to his father Kim Jong Il's 'Songun' line, or 'military first' policy. In April 2018, Kim declared 'victory' on the military front with the development of nuclear weapons, and announced a 'new strategic line' focusing on the economy.

Nuclear Inventory

The US wants a complete inventory of North Korea's nuclear program, outlining its arsenal and production and testing sites, as an initial step to denuclearisation. North Korea fears that this could be used as a detailed plan for a pre-emptive US military strike to destroy its facilities.

The Kim Dynasty

Kim Il Sung was the first leader of North Korea, installed with the support of the Soviet Union in 1948, and started the Korean War by invading the South in 1950. Originally a Marxist-Leninist, he developed the state ideology of Juche, or self-reliance, and a massive personality cult. When Kim Il Sung died in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il took over and, twelve years later, carried out the North's first nuclear test. On his death in 2011, his son Kim Jong Un succeeded.

China

China borders North Korea and, under Chairman Mao Zedong's orders, fought on its neighbour's side during the Korean War, suffering more casualties than any other state. For a long time, China was North Korea's only means of economic survival. The two countries are said to be 'as close as lips and teeth' but have often had a difficult relationship. Kim Jong Un has improved ties, making multiple visits to Chinese President Xi Jinping, including his first foreign trip as leader of North Korea.

Key North Korean Players

Kim Yong Chol, a former spy chief thought to be behind the sinking of a South Korean ship in 2010, is now Kim Jong Un's right-hand man for negotiations with the US. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, director of the Propaganda and Agitation department and the most powerful woman in North Korea, also has a prominent role. Ri Sol Ju, Kim Jong Un's wife, may also attend.

Key US players

Mike Pompeo, also a former spy chief as director of the CIA and now US Secretary of State, leads high-level negotiations with the North Koreans. Stephen Biegun is the Special Representative for North Korea and conducts working-level talks. John Bolton, a long-time North Korea hawk and Donald Trump's National Security Advisor, has riled North Korea in the past and plays a more limited role in negotiations.

Human Rights

The UN says the North Korean people suffer "systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations". The system is the most authoritarian in the world. In his 2018 State of the Union address, President Trump said: "No regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea." Nonetheless, human rights have not been publicly mentioned in any of the denuclearisation negotiations to date.