N. Korea ready for site checks: Pompeo
‘Pretty close’ to agreeing details of 2nd summit
SEOUL: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday said North Korean leader Kim Jongun was ready to allow international inspectors into the North’s nuclear and missile testing sites, one of the main sticking points over an earlier denuclearisation pledge.
Pompeo, who met Kim during a short trip to Pyongyang on Sunday, said the inspectors would visit a missile engine test facility and the Punggyeri nuclear testing site as soon as the two sides agreed on logistics.
‘‘There’s a lot of logistics that will be required to execute that,’’ Pompeo told a news briefing in Seoul before leaving for Beijing.
The top US diplomat also said both sides were ‘‘pretty close’’ to agreement on the details of a second summit, which Kim proposed to US President Donald Trump in a letter last month.
Pompeo told South Korean President Moon Jaein on Sunday his latest trip to Pyongyang was ‘‘another step forward’’ to denuclearisation but there were ‘‘many steps along the way’’.
At last month’s interKorean summit, the North expressed its willingness to close the Yongbyon nuclear complex if Washington takes corresponding action, which Moon said would include a declaration of an end to the 195053 Korean War.
Pompeo declined to comment whether there was progress on a shutdown of the Yongbyon site.
Moon also said the North would ‘‘permanently dismantle’’ its missile engine testing site and launch platform in the northwestern town of Tongchangri in
the presence of experts from ‘‘concerned countries’’.
Some experts say that opening the Tongchangri or Punggyeri sites for inspection could be a goodwill gesture but has little significance in quickening denuclearisation.
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement Kim had invited inspectors to visit the Punggyeri nuclear test site to confirm it had been irreversibly dismantled. The statement did not provide further details.
In a more upbeat note, Pyongyang’s state media yesterday said Kim lauded his talks with Pompeo, where Kim ‘‘explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearisation issue’’.
Kim said the bilateral dialogue would continue to develop ‘‘based on the deep confidence between the two leaders’’, and expressed gratitude to Trump for making a sincere effort to implement the agreement made at their June summit, KCNA said.
KCNA also said the two sides agreed to hold working negotiations for the second summit as early as possible.
But it did not mention any inspectionrelated issue.
Commenting on Pompeo’s meeting with Kim, South Korean President Moon Jaein said Kim was expected to visit Russia soon. He said Chinese leader Xi Jinping was also expected to travel to North Korea. — Reuters
the North would ‘permanently dismantle’ its missile engine testing site and launch platform