Pyongyang to destroy the Punggye-ri nuclear site between 23 and 25 May

Journalists from South Korea, United States, China, Russia and the United Kingdom will be invited to the event. The White House recognises North Korea’s security needs and is open to allowing US private companies in the country. More diplomatic meetings are underway. A North Korean delegation arrived in China. This week, another high-level inter-Korean meeting will be held.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – North Korea will dismantle the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site between 23 and 25 May.

The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement amid ongoing high-level diplomatic meetings ahead of the summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump on 12 June.

North Korea will invite journalists from South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and the United Kingdom to witness the dismantlement. Washington and Seoul have welcomed the announcement.

Various sources have reported that the White House asked North Korea to move parts of materials used in building nuclear weapons out of the country.

At the same time, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States will need to "provide security assurances" to North Korea.

Pompeo also said that US private-sector companies could help rebuild North Korea's energy grid and develop the country's infrastructure. He described the possibility of American agriculture being used to "support North Korea so they can eat meat and have healthy lives."

This comes after UN World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley raised the alarm on 11 May, following a four-day visit, about the country’s food situation. The WFP  has reported that about 40 per cent of North Korea’s population is undernourished.

Meanwhile, diplomatic activities around the inter-Korean peace talks continue. Today, a delegation of North Korean officials arrived in China to boost cooperation between the two countries, ahead of the Kim-Trump summit.

On 12 June, Kim and Trump will meet in Singapore. The summit site has not yet been officially announced. North Korea’s diplomatic mission in the South-East Asian city-state did not respond to the pressing questions from journalists.

For its part, South Korea announced that another high-level inter-Korean meeting will be held this week, following decisions taken in the Panmunjom Declaration.

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• south
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• donald trump
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• panmunjon declaration