North Korea to ‘close’ mountain nuclear test site after collapse revelation, unify time zone with Seoul
The last five of Pyongyang’s six nuclear tests have all been carried out under Mount Mantap at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea’s northwest
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged to close the country’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site in May and let US and South Korean experts and media confirm the closure, Seoul officials said on Sunday, as US President Trump pressed for total denuclearisation before his meeting with Kim.
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 anticipated meeting with Trump, saying the US president will learn he is “not a person” to fire missiles towards the United States, Moon’s spokesman Yoon Young-chan said.
Moon and Kim during the summit promised to work towards the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean Peninsula, but made no references to verification or timetables.
Seoul had also shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to set up a potential meeting between Kim and Trump, which is expected late next month or early June.
“Once we start talking, the United States will know that I am not a person to launch nuclear weapons at South Korea, the Pacific or the United States,” Yoon quoted 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 treaty, then why would be need to live in difficulty by keeping our nuclear weapons?” Yoon quoted Kim as saying.