Foreign Journalists Enter North Korea to Report on the Closure of Nuclear Site

A month after the official announcement of the closure of a nuclear testing site by the North Korean government, a group of foreign journalists entered the northern part of the country from China on Tuesday, June 1, to report on the completion of this facility. The North Korean state news agency announced on Saturday, April 21, that the country had suspended all its nuclear and missile tests and would close a location and facilities related to nuclear testing in the north of the country. The official North Korean news agency quoted a statement from Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, stating that Pyongyang no longer needs nuclear and ballistic missile tests, 'because the country has achieved the capability to produce nuclear weapons.' In response to this announcement, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the news. Now, Reuters reports that a group of about 20 journalists and reporters from networks such as the Associated Press, CNN, CBS, RT, and several Chinese news agencies, which are major supporters of North Korea, have entered the city of Wonsan in northern North Korea. Meanwhile, in addition to Reuters, the North Korean government has not allowed South Korean media to report on this news. The South Korean government expressed regret over this action by the North Korean government in a statement but stated that it understands that Pyongyang is committed to its 'commitment' to close this nuclear site. On the other hand, the budding relationship between North Korea and the United States has recently become somewhat strained following Donald Trump's positioning and the North Korean leader's reaction to it, even putting the planned meeting between the two next month in question. After Mr. Trump announced that he would meet with the North Korean leader on June 21, less than three weeks away, the issue of the 'complete' denuclearization of this country was raised by U.S. officials, including the President. This issue did not sit well with Pyongyang officials: last week, the North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister threatened that if pressures on the country to 'unilaterally' abandon its nuclear weapons continued, Pyongyang would reconsider its upcoming negotiations with the United States. This official also criticized the remarks of John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, and other U.S. officials regarding the need to pursue the 'Libya option' regarding North Korea's nuclear arsenal and to submit to 'complete and irreversible denuclearization' of Pyongyang. Muammar Gaddafi, the former leader of Libya, agreed to eliminate his country's nuclear program and destroy its chemical weapons in 2003 in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against Libya. Less than a decade after this event, Gaddafi was overthrown and ultimately killed following a popular uprising in Libya and NATO intervention. On Monday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned Kim Jong Un about the upcoming summit between the two countries. Now, on Tuesday, the South Korean President, who has played a pivotal role in re-establishing relations with Pyongyang, is set to meet with Donald Trump. According to reports, this meeting is an effort to resolve misunderstandings and obstacles in the way of the historic meeting between the U.S. President and the North Korean leader.