DPRK to close main nuclear test site

Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has said his country will openly close its main nuclear test site in May, the Blue House of South Korea said Sunday.

Yoon Young-chan, senior press secretary for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told a press briefing that during the April 27 summit, Kim told Moon that he will shutdown the nuclear test site, which will be transparently made open to the international society.

Kim said he will invite experts and reporters of South Korea and the United States to the DPRK for the transparent implementation. Pyongyang conducted all of its six nuclear detonations in the Punggye-ri test site in northeast of the DPRK.

Moon and Kim held the third-ever inter-Korean summit in the South Korean side of the border village of Panmunjom. Kim became the first DPRK leader to step onto South Korean soil since the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

At the summit, they confirmed a common goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and agreed to have multilateral talks, including China and the United States, to declare an end to the Korean War and change the current armistice agreement into a peace treaty by the end of this year.

Kim told Moon that the two tunnels in the nuclear test site are bigger than the existing ones and in a good shape, rebutting the contention by some media that the DPRK would close the already collapsed nuclear test site.

Moon welcomed Kim's decision to openly shut down the nuclear test site, agreeing to discuss when to invite experts and reporters of South Korea and the United States to the DPRK after the DPRK side completes preparations for it.

Kim told Moon that the United States will realize after holding talks with Pyongyang that the DPRK is not a country to use its nuclear weapons toward South Korea, the Pacific Ocean or the United States.

The DPRK leader said his country has no reason to live with difficulty because of the nuclear program if it meets the United States frequently and build mutual trust to promise on the end of the Korean War and non-aggression.

The summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump is forecast to be held in May or early June.

Kim told Moon that there will be no repetition of war on the peninsula, strongly affirming that there will never be any use of force.

Meanwhile, Kim has agreed with Moon to unify different standard times between Seoul and Pyongyang, which Pyongyang has a standard time 30 minutes later than Seoul.