North Korea 'is ready to shut down its sensitive nuclear facility in two days'

The South Korean presidential office, citing the North Korean leader, states that Pyongyang is willing to shut down its sensitive nuclear testing facility in Punggye-ri and will invite experts and journalists for this process. A spokesperson for President Moon Jae-in of South Korea said that Mr. Moon and Kim Jong-un have also agreed to publicly announce the timing of the facility's shutdown. According to this spokesperson, Kim Jong-un mentioned during their meeting and negotiations on Friday that he is ready to end operations at the Punggye-ri facility in May, which begins in two days. Kim also told Moon Jae-in that he intends to invite South Korean and American experts, as well as journalists, to participate in the shutdown process and ensure that 'this is done with complete transparency for the international community.' The spokesperson quoted the North Korean leader as saying, 'Some say we want to shut down facilities that are no longer operational, but you will see that this facility is in good condition.' Although there was no direct reference to the 'non-operational' status of the Punggye-ri facility, these remarks may have been made in connection with reports about its 'collapse.' Recently, Chinese researchers stated that North Korea's nuclear testing center had 'collapsed' due to tremors from the September test. North Korea announced on September 12 last year that it had conducted its sixth nuclear test. Japan reported that the tremor recorded from the test was 'at least ten times stronger than the last North Korean test.' In another part of his meeting with Moon Jae-in, Kim stated, 'People will see that I am not a person who would launch a nuclear missile at South Korea, or the United States, or [anywhere in] the Pacific... Why should we keep our nuclear weapons and live in difficult conditions if we are to meet with the Americans regularly and rebuild trust; and they promise us to end the war and not attack us?' Kim Jong-un also stated that North Korea's clock would be synchronized with the official time in South Korea. The official time in North Korea is half an hour behind the official time in Seoul, despite the entire peninsula being in one time zone. The leaders of the two Koreas met on Friday and issued a statement declaring their intention to move towards achieving a peace treaty and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. North Korean state media also stated on Saturday, in a nearly unprecedented move, that 'North Korea and South Korea have emphasized that their common goal is to create a nuclear-free peninsula; which will be achieved through complete disarmament.' On Saturday, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, tweeted about the recent developments, stating, 'Everything is going well,' and regarding the anticipated meeting with the North Korean leader, he said, 'I think we will meet in three or four weeks.' For decades, North Korea has described its military nuclear program as an inseparable part of its political life and a factor in creating balance and deterrence against 'nuclear attack'; thus, the publication of the official text of the negotiations between the leaders of the two Koreas by Pyongyang's media and the recent public actions to end operations at the Punggye-ri facility have been reflected in international media.