North Korea, US in talks over denuke roadmap

A TV screen at Seoul Railway Station shows a satellite image of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea during a news program, Sunday. North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle the test site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. / AP-Yonhap

All eyes on dismantling of Punggye-ri test site

By Yi Whan-woo

North Korea will dismantle its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri between May 23 and 25, the first step toward its "complete denuclearization" in line with an agreement reached between the leaders of the two Koreas, April 27.

The North will also invite journalists from South Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and the United Kingdom to witness the dismantlement.

Announced by its foreign ministry, Saturday, Pyongyang's plan to close its nuclear test facility is also seen as a bid to build trust with Washington prior to a planned summit between leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, June 12.

"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25, depending on the weather," the ministry said in a statement.

It said observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed.

Trump welcomed North Korea's decision, calling it a "gracious gesture."

To better verify Pyongyang's sincerity about denuclearization, the U.S. separately has been demanding North Korea to move parts of materials used in building nuclear weapons out of the country, according to multiple sources, Sunday.

Such parts include nuclear warheads, fissile material and components for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The U.S. wants them to be removed after the Kim-Trump summit, in exchange for easing U.S.-led international sanctions on the Kim regime.

North Korea has not responded to the U.S. demand yet, the sources said.

Following the April 27 summit with President Moon Jae-in, Kim promised to shut down the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in front of the international journalists and security experts.

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It said it will offer accommodation and other relevant services for the media.

However, the North did not mention whether it will invite security experts as its leader initially promised.

Analysts speculated Pyongyang may have discussions with South Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and the U.K. before finalizing its decision on inviting these experts.

Trump immediately welcomed Pyongyang's move.

In a tweet, Saturday, he thanked North Korea for its plan, calling it "a very smart and gracious gesture!"

Cheong Wa Dae also welcomed the move.

"The announcement is seen as an expression of the North's intention to carry out its agreement, reached during last month's inter-Korean summit, not through words but through action," presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said Sunday. "We hope that the sound of explosions at the nuclear test ground will serve as celebratory gunfire for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

He added that the Moon administration hopes that trust between leaders of the U.S. and North Korea will be strengthened by Pyongyang's move prior to their summit.

Meanwhile, a Cheong Wa Dae official said the government was believed to have been notified in advance about Pyongyang's dismantlement plan.

The official downplayed the possibility that North Korea may seek to carry out nuclear tests in the areas other than Punggye-ri.

He pointed out that Pyongyang included all four tunnels at Punggye-ri for dismantling even though two of them are still in good shape.

"It appears North Korea needs more nuclear tests to better miniaturize nuclear warheads and make advances in nuclear development, accordingly. The fact that all four tunnels are subject to dismantlement suggests the country no longer wants to conduct nuclear tests anywhere."

The official claimed that Punggye-ri is virtually the only place in North Korea where nuclear tests are possible.

Multiple sources said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his visit to Pyongyang last week, asked the North to move five nuclear weapons to France for destruction.

According to the Rand Corp., a U.S. think tank, North Korea may have enough fissile material to build between 13 and 21 nuclear weapons.

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