Hopes Kim will get rid of nuclear weapons hit setback

HOPES of rapid progress towards the denuclearisation of North Korea have cooled after the US rebuffed Kim Jong-un’s promise to dismantle a nuclear test site if Washington first made concessions.

President Donald Trump had offered encouragement after Mr Kim signed a joint statement with Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, during talks in Pyongyang.

But the US State Department insisted nothing had changed in the US position and there could be no rewards for Mr Kim’s regime until it completed denuclearisation.

“Nothing can happen in the absence of denuclearisation,” said Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman.

Promises

Analysts have long pointed out that promises made by Mr Kim offer little new, particularly on the issue of its nuclear weapons capability.

There had been an initial positive reaction from the US, with Mr Trump describing the joint declaration as “tremendous progress”.

However, North Korea’s offer to shut down the nuclear plant at Yongbyon is seen as of limited significance because it is widely understood Pyongyang is operating at least one secret uranium enrichment facility elsewhere.

And while the North offered to dismantle the site, it also added the caveat that it would only do so “if the US takes corresponding measures”.

Washington’s insistence that the ball is in Mr Kim’s court is becoming increasingly unpopular in South Korea.

A new poll showed six out of 10 people believe additional cross-border exchanges should be permitted, along with economic co-operation, before North Korea carries out its promises to get rid of its nuclear weapons.