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 has said.
Kim made the comments during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border truce village, where he also expressed optimism about meeting with US President Trump.
Both leaders 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 President Trump, which is expected next month or early June.
North Korea has announced it has suspended all tests of nuclear devices and intercontinental ballistic missiles and plans to close its nuclear testing ground.
Kim reacted to scepticism that the North would only be closing down the northernmost test tunnel at the site in Punggye-ri, which some analysts say became too unstable to conduct further underground detonations following the country’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test in September.
The new round of nuclear negotiations comes after a decades-long cycle of crises, stalemates and broken promises that allowed the country the room to build a legitimate arsenal.
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