Nuclear test site ‘to be dismantled within weeks’
Pyongyang: North Korea has announced it will dismantle its nuclear weapons testing site in less than two weeks, according to state media.
The dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site will take place sometime between May 23 and May 25, depending on weather conditions, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.
It will involve the removal of all research buildings, observation facilities and security posts. “The Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK [The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test,” KCNA said.
It added that North Korean media and reporters from South Korea, China, Russia, the US and UK will be allowed to attend the dismantlement ceremony.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to close the site during a landmark summit last month with South Korean President Moon Jaein, but experts have warned verifying any dismantling may prove difficult. Kim is also scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump next month.