N Korea’s Kim to visit Seoul, shut missile site

Seoul, September 19 

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un agreed to make a historic visit to Seoul soon and close a missile testing site in front of international inspectors at a summit with the South’s President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

Progress on the key issue of the North’s nuclear arsenal was limited, but the two signed a document to strengthen ties between the two halves of the divided peninsula. The agreement “carries the people’s fresh hope and the people’s strong, flaming desire for reunification”, Kim said.

His trip to Seoul would be the first by a Northern leader since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, when hostilities ceased with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving them technically in a state of war.

Moon added that the visit could happen this year and would be a “monumental milestone in inter-Korean relations”.

In their agreement, the North also agreed to “permanently close” a missile engine testing site and launch facility in Tongchang-ri “in the presence of experts from relevant nations”.

Moon, who brokered Kim’s historic summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, had hoped to bring fresh momentum to stalled talks between his hosts and Washington. Whether that would happen remained unclear.

In Singapore Kim declared his backing for denuclearisation of the peninsula but no details were agreed. Washington and Pyongyang have since sparred over what that means and how it will be achieved.

Trump welcomed Wednesday’s declaration, tweeting that Kim had “agreed to allow nuclear inspections, subject to final negotiations” and adding: “Very exciting!” But experts were sceptical.

The North-whose ballistic missile programme is banned under UN Security Council resolutions-has carried out several long-range rocket launches from the site, also known as Sohae, but has also used many other locations including Pyongyang airport.

Satellite pictures in August suggested workers were already dismantling an engine test stand at Sohae.

Moon also said the North could close its Yongbyon nuclear plant if Washington takes “corresponding measures”-a significant caveat.

Wednesday’s declaration came 13 years to the day after the North committed at the Six Party Talks to “abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes”.

But the two Koreas have been pressing ahead with their own rapprochement, with Kim looking to secure economic cooperation from the far wealthier South, and Moon trying to reduce the risk of a US-North Korean conflict that would devastate his country.

Before returning home on Thursday, Seoul said, Moon will travel to Mount Paektu, the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation on the Chinese-North Korean border. — AFP

Moon will update Trump next week at un summit

• Kim’s latest promises come days before Moon meets Trump in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week. Seoul officials hope Moon will be able to convince Trump to restart nuclear talks with Pyongyang

• Though North has unilaterally stopped nuclear and missile tests, it did not allow international inspections of the dismantling its only known nuclear test site in May, drawing criticism that its action was for show and could be easily reversed

• As a next step, North will allow experts from “concerned countries” to watch the closure of its missile engine testing site and launch pad in the northwestern town of Dongchang-ri, according to a joint statement signed by Moon and Kim

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Growing bonhomie

• Both Koreas agreed to begin construction to reconnect railways and roads linking the countries within this year

• They will also work to restart a joint factory park in the North border city of Kaesong and tours to the North’s Mount Kumgang resort

• They also agreed to pursue a bid to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games, and actively work together in other competitions, including 2020 Tokyo Olympics