ISLAMABAD – North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nucleartest site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set upleader Kim Jong Un’s summit with President Donald Trump next month.
In a statement carried by state media, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry saidthat all of the tunnels at the country’s northeastern testing ground willbe destroyed by explosion, and that observation and research facilities andground-based guard units will also be removed.
Kim had already revealed plans to shut down the test site by the end of Mayduring his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month.Analysts say that while the closure of the site is important, it doesn’trepresent a material step toward full denuclearization.
“A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduledbetween May 23 and 25,” depending on weather conditions, the ForeignMinistry’s statement said.
It said the North will invite journalists from the United States, SouthKorea, China, Russia and Britain to witness the dismantling process.
The journalists will be provided with a charter flight from Beijing to theNorth Korean coastal city of Wonsan, from where they will travel by trainto the test site, the statement said.