Seoul : US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday discussed North Korea’s recent threats to cancel its unprecedented summit with Washington, Seoul’s presidential office said.
After weeks of warm words and diplomatic backslapping, Pyongyang abruptly threatened to pull out of the planned summit next month because of US demands for “unilateral nuclear abandonment”, according to the North’s official KCNA news agency. North Korea also cancelled at the last minute a high-level meeting with the South, protesting joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.
In a phone conversation on Sunday, Trump and Moon “exchanged views on various actions taken by North Korea recently”, Moon’s office said in a statement, reports AFP. The two leaders agreed to “work closely” for the success of the landmark summit in Singapore on June 12, which would be the first meeting between a sitting US President and a North Korean leader.
They are due to meet in Washington on Tuesday. North Korea’s sudden shift in attitude followed a weeks-long charm offensive that has seen leader Kim Jong Un hold a historic summit with Moon and meet twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping. At a dramatic summit last month in the Demilitarised Zone dividing their two countries, Kim and Moon pledged to pursue nuclear disarmament and a peace treaty.
Pyongyang also raised hopes ahead of the US summit by announcing it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week. But the promise is open to interpretation on both sides and the North has spent decades developing its atomic arsenal, culminating last year in its sixth nuclear test — by far its biggest to date — and the launch of missiles capable of reaching the US.
Pyongyang setting up stands for viewers to watch dismantling of nuclear test site
Seoul [South Korea] : According to a US website monitoring the N Korea is building, satellite imagery shows that the regime is building a stand for visitors to observe the dismantling of its nuclear test site.
The imagery from May 15 indicates that steps are being taken to close down the Punggye-ri test site, Yonhap reported citing a report published on 38 North web portal.
Ahead of meeting between N Korea leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President
Quoting the article, Yonhap reported, “The unusual activity observed a week ago, on the hillside near the West Portal, could represent the stockpiling of tunnel timbers and or building materials reclaimed from the ongoing dismantlement effort, but given the exposed hillside location with an unobstructed viewshed, the most likely explanation is that it will form an observation platform to allow journalists to safely view the explosive closure of the North and West Portals.” The dismantling of the site will take place between May 23 and 25.