Koreas dismantle loudspeakers at their tense border

The rival Koreas dismantled huge loudspeakers used to blare Cold War-style propaganda across their tense border on Tuesday, as South Korea’s president asked the UN to observe the North’s planned closing of its nuclear test site.

The dismantling of dozens of loudspeakers was in line with an agreement on reconciliation by the leaders of the Koreas at their historic summit last Friday.

South Korean soldiers disassembled loudspeakers in multiple front-line areas in the presence of journalists before pulling them away from the border, the defence ministry said. A South Korea military officer said later on Tuesday that North Korea had also begun taking down its propaganda loudspeakers that day.

Both Koreas had turned off the propaganda broadcasts along the 248-km border last week before the summit.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has suspended nuclear and missile tests and placed his nuclear programme up for negotiation, but scepticism lingers about how serious his offer is and what disarmament steps he would eventually take.

During a telephone call with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he wants the UN to observe the closure of the Punggy-ri test site. Moon also asked the UN to formally declare its support for his summit declaration with Kim. Guterres said he will try to contribute to the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

SEOUL:

KIM AGREES TO MEET TRUMP AT DMZ: REPORT

Kim has agreed to meet US President Donald Trump at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, an informed source told CNN in Washington.

The venue makes the most sense logistically for Kim, the source told CNN, because media facilities and equipment are already in place, which could the allow the summit to take place “in late May”. AGENCIES