Trump: DPRK 'total denuclearization' started

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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was blowing up four of its big test sites and that a process of "total denuclearization ... has already started," but officials said there was no such evidence since a landmark summit last week.

Trump said at a Cabinet meeting in the White House that "They've stopped the sending of missiles, including ballistic missiles. They're destroying their engine site. They're blowing it up. They've already blown up one of their big test sites, in fact it's actually four of their big test sites.

"And the big thing is it will be a total denuclearization, which has already started taking place."

US President Donald Trump (C) speaks to the media during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, June 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, speculated Trump might have been referring to explosions last month that the DPRK said were to destroy tunnels at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and the dismantling of a medium-range ballistic missile test stand at Iha-ri, also in May.

There had been contact with DPRK officials since the summit, the US State Department said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "will be meeting with them and talking with them at the earliest possible date" to implement what was agreed in Singapore, spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters, without providing further details.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media alongside President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, June 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

Trump told reporters after the June 12 summit that Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations. A US official said on Wednesday that the site Trump referred to then was the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles.

He said at the Cabinet meeting both he and Pompeo had established a "very strong" relationship with Kim that he thought would lead to "tremendous success."

Trump went on to say that the "number-one statement" in the document he and Kim signed in Singapore was "we will immediately begin total denuclearization" of the DPRK, although there was no such statement in the text.

In the joint statement, Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," but made no reference to a timeline.

US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un walk together during their summit at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, Singapore, June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Pompeo told the same Cabinet meeting Kim had made a personal commitment, and added: "He has got his reputation on the line."

Pompeo said US allies were supportive of the US policy of maintaining sanctions on Pyongyang until its denuclearization was complete.

Trump also said the remains of US troops missing from the Korean War were in the process of being returned to the US from the DPRK, correcting a statement he made a day earlier.

Trump said on Wednesday the remains of 200 American servicemen had already been sent back, following on from the agreement he reached with Kim in Singapore.

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Source(s): Reuters