North Korean leader promises to shut down nuclear test site
● Kim Jong Un says area will close in May ahead of talks with Trump
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to shut down the country’ s nuclear test site in May and open the process to experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Seoul’ s presidential office said yesterday.
The event may serve as a dramatic set- up to Kim’s crucial nuclear negotiations with US president Donald Trump that may take place in the next few weeks amid widespread scepticism on whether the North will ever fully surrender its nuclear weapons.
Mr Kim made the comments during his summit with South Korean president Moon Jae- in on Friday at a border truce village, where he also expressed optimism about his meeting with Mr Trump, saying the US president will learn he’s “not a person” to fire missiles toward America, Mr Moon’s spokesman Yoon Young- chan said.
During the summit, Mr Moon and Mr Kim promised to work toward the“complete denuclearisation” of the Korean Peninsula, but made no references to verification or timetables. Seoul had also shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington DC to set up a potential meeting between Mr Kim and Mr Trump, which is expected to happen next month or early in June.
“Once we star t talking, the United States will know that I am no tapers onto launch nuclear weapons at South Korea, the Pacific or the United States,” Mr Yoon quoted Mr Kim as saying.
“If we maintain frequent meetings and build trust with the United States and receive promises for an end to the war and a non- aggression treat y, then why would we need to live in difficulty by keeping our nuclear weapons?”
North Korea this month announced it has suspended all tests of nuclear devices and intercontinental ball istic missile sand plans to close its nuclear testing ground. Mr Kim reacted to scepticism that the North would only be closing down the northern most test tunnel at the site in Pungg ye - ri, which some analysts said became too unstable following the country’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test in September.
In his conversation with Mr Moon, Mr Kim denied he would be merely clearing damaged goods, saying the site also has two new tunnels that are larger than previous testing facilities, Mr Yoon said.
The Friday summit between Mr Moon and Mr Kim kicked off a global diplomatic drive to deal with the North’s nuclear and missile threats, which after a flurry of weapons tests last year involve purported thermonuclear weapons, developmental I CB Ms and quick- fire solid- fuel missiles.
While the meeting ended with no new concrete measures on the nuclear standoff, the more substantial discussions on the North’s denuclearisation – including what, when and how it would occur – were always going to be reserved for a Kim- Trump summit.
The new round of nuclear negotiations with North Korea comes after a decades-long cycle of crises, stalemates and broken promises that allowed the country the room to build a legitimate arsenal.
Seoul has said Mr Kim expressed genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons. But North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of “denuclearisation” that bears no resemblance to the American definition, vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its troops from the Korean Peninsula and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan.
There is widespread doubt whether Mr Kim will ever agree to entirely abandon his nuclear weapons when he clearly sees them as provid - ing his only guarantee of survival in a region surrounded by enemies.
Some analysts see Mr Moon’s agreement with Mr Kim as a disappointment, citing the lack of references to verification and time frames.