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(3rd LD) N. Korea accepts list of S. Korean journalists to cover nuclear site dismantlement

All News 11:29 May 23, 2018

(ATTN: ADDS updated info throughout)

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea accepted the list of South Korean journalists chosen to cover the dismantlement of the North's nuclear test site at the last minute on Wednesday, allowing the media to travel to the North to observe the high-profile demolition event, the unification ministry said.

South Korea welcomed the latest, albeit belated, development, expressing hope that it could lead to the swift and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The ministry handed over the list of journalists -- four from a newswire and four from a broadcaster -- to the North through the communication channel at the truce village of Panmunjom at 9 a.m., and the North accepted it, according to the ministry.

Foreign reporters prepare to cover North Korea's nuclear test site dismantlement at a hotel in Wonsan on May 22, 2018. (AP-Yonhap)

Foreign reporters prepare to cover North Korea's nuclear test site dismantlement at a hotel in Wonsan on May 22, 2018. (AP-Yonhap)

"The government welcomes that our press corps has been allowed to participate in the event marking the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site," ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told reporters during a regular press briefing.

"We expect that this will serve as a starting point for accomplishing complete denuclearization as swiftly as possible through the U.S.-North Korea summit and talks at various channels," he added.

The spokesman said that the journalists will depart for the North's eastern city of Wonsan at 12:30 p.m. from an airport in Seongnam, south of Seoul, flying on a hastily arranged state-owned airplane and returning home together with other foreign reporters via Beijing.

They were selected as pool reporters for the South Korean media ahead of the ceremony that the North is planning to host this week.

The date for the event has yet to be fixed, but it is expected to happen between Wednesday and Friday depending on local weather conditions.

North Korea announced in mid-May that it will publicly shut down the test site located in the country's northern region in a ceremony to which media from South Korea, China, Russia, the United States and Britain will be invited to cover.

The North had declined to accept the list of South Korean reporters for days without providing any reason or explanation, giving rise to speculation that the foot-dragging might have to do with somewhat cooled relations between the two Koreas after the North's abrupt cancellation of inter-Korean talks scheduled for last week.

The North unilaterally postponed the high-level talks with the South meant to discuss follow-up measures to the April 27 inter-Korean summit, taking issue with ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.

The South Korean government expressed regret over the decision, urging the North to return to talks as soon as possible, but the North ramped up its criticism, threatening that talks will not happen if Seoul and Washington continue their joint military drills.

Meanwhile, the journalists from four other countries, excluding the South Koreans, headed from Beijing to Wonsan on Tuesday by flying on a North Korean Air Koryo plane. They are set to travel by train from Wonsan to an area near the test site. They are expected to return home either on Saturday or Sunday.

The Punggye-ri nuclear site, located in a mountainous region of the North, is where the North carried out all six of its nuclear detonation tests. The demolition is deemed a meaningful step toward the complete denuclearization affirmed by the leaders of the two Koreas during their summit last month.

The move comes ahead of the highly anticipated summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The unprecedented meeting is set to take place in Singapore on June 12.

The North has been busy making preparations to host a group of foreign journalists for the dismantling ceremony.

38 North, a U.S. website dedicated to monitoring developments in North Korea, earlier reported that satellite imagery shows that North Korea is preparing to build an observation stand for the dismantling of its nuclear test site.

North Korea is also said to be making efforts to repair and test the safety of a 270-kilometer stretch of railway between Wonsan and Kilju in North Hamgyong Province, where the Punggye-ri site is located.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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