(2nd LD) N. Korea demolishes nuclear test site
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with pool report)
SEOUL, May 24 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) -- North Korea blew up its only known nuclear test site on Thursday, taking an initial step toward denuclearization, according to South Korean journalists visiting the area.
The North dynamited the northern underground tunnel in Punggye-ri, a northeastern remote area, at around 11 a.m., they said in a brief pool report.
Two other tunnels were destroyed at around 2 p.m., followed by the explosion of barracks and other facilities on the ground, they added.
A group of reporters and television crews from South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Britain were invited to witness the ceremony.
It was not immediately confirmed whether the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, visited the site to observe the closure of the symbol of the communist nation's nuclear program.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
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