North Korea Sets Official Date to Dismantle Nuclear Site
North Korea continues to follow through with its efforts towards peace. On Saturday, the country confirmed that it will invite reporters from the United States and South Korea to “ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test.”
According to a report by Reuters and the country’s state media, the dismantlement of the North Korean nuclear site is scheduled to be sometime between May 23 and 25, depending on the weather conditions.
The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the closure of the Pyungge-ri site would involve using explosions to collapse the tunnels, blocking entries, and removing all observation facilities, research institutes, and guard structures. The guards and researchers will be withdrawn, and the area surrounding the site will be closed.
Because space is limited, only journalists from China, Russia, South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom are allowed access, according to KCNA. North Korea will be taking various measures to accommodate the traveling journalists, including “opening territorial airspace” and providing a charter flight from Beijing, China to Wonsan, North Korea. From there, journalists will board a charter train to the test site.
The announcement comes the day after President Trump gave the official date and location for his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Trump and Kim Jong Un are set to meet in Singapore on June 12, marking the first time a U.S. president will meet with a North Korean leader.
Trump appears to be optimistic with North Korea as he personally welcomed home the freed American detainees early Thursday. “We have a very good chance of doing something meaningful,” Trump said on Thursday. “I really think he (Kim) wants to do something to bring that country back into the real world.”
