US, ROK welcome DPRK pledge to destroy nuclear site

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US President Donald Trump on Saturday thanked the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after it pledged to destroy its nuclear test site ahead of his summit meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

"North Korea (DPRK) has announced that they will dismantle Nuclear Test Site this month, ahead of the big Summit Meeting on June 12th," he tweeted.

"Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!"

The screenshot shows Trump's tweet

The Republic of Korea (ROK) has also welcomed the DPRK decision, according to Reuters citing the ROK's presidential office.

"This shows they are willing to keep their promise made at the inter-Korea summit through action beyond words,” Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a media briefing on Sunday.

The DPRK announced on Saturday that it will hold a ceremony for the dismantling of its nuclear test site May 23-25, taking a step forward towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Pyongyang said that it will detonate explosives in all tunnels of the test ground and completely block entrances, remove all observation facilities, research institutes and structures of guard units.

CGTN Photo

In parallel with the dismantlement, guards and researchers will be withdrawn and the surrounding area of the site completely closed.

Punggye-ri has hosted all six of the DPRK's nuclear tests. The last and by far the most powerful, which Pyongyang said was an H-bomb, was in September last year.

Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency