DPRK details nuclear site plan
SEOUL/WASHINGTON — The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has scheduled the dismantlement of its nuclear bomb test site for between May 23 and 25 in order to uphold its pledge to discontinue nuclear tests, DPRK media reported on Saturday a month ahead of a historic summit.
The DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency said dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test ground would involve collapsing all of its tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances, and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts.
“The Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground ... in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test,” KCNA said.
“A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25,” depending on weather, the DPRK Foreign Ministry said, adding that journalists from the United States, the Republic of Korea, China, Russia and the United Kingdom will be invited to witness the dismantling.
KCNA said journalists would be invited to cover the event, to “show in a transparent manner the dismantlement of the northern nuclear test ground to be carried out”. The exact date of the closure will depend on weather conditions, the agency said.
The ministry said the DPRK will continue to “promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighboring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the globe”.
US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un will hold talks in Singapore on June 12, the first-ever meeting between a sitting US president and a DPRK leader.
Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the DPRK can look forward to “a future brimming with peace and prosperity” if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons.
Trump welcomed the DPRK’s announcement.
“Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!” he said in a post on Twitter.
The ROK’s presidential office echoed the sentiment on Sunday, saying it shows Pyongyang’s willingness to denuclearize through actions beyond words.
Kim Eui-kyeom, spokesman for ROK President Moon Jae-in, said it was an expression of the DPRK’s willingness to keep to the promise that Pyongyang made during the inter-Korean summit on April 27.