North Korea to close nuclear test site in May, says South Korea

In a big move that may contribute significantly towards achieving the world peace, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to shut down the country’s nuclear test site in May, South Korea said on Sunday.

The closure of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site will be done in public and experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States will be invited to watch, said Yoon Young-chan, a spokesperson of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The decision to close the nuclear test site was conveyed by the North Korean leader during his historic summit with Moon at a border truce village on Friday.

During the summit, Kim also expressed optimisim about his highly anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump.

“Once we start talking, the United States will know that I am not a person to launch nuclear weapons at South Korea, the Pacific or the United States,” Kim was quoted as saying by Moon's spokesperson.

“If we maintain frequent meetings and build trust with the United States and receive promises for an end to the war and a non-aggression treaty, then why would be need to live in difficulty by keeping our nuclear weapons?” the spokesperson quoted Kim as saying.

Earlier on Friday, Kim sat foot in South Korea by crossing the military border and met President Moon in a moment dubbed “truly historic” by the United Nations.

Kim became the first North Korean leader to cross over to South Korea after partition of the peninsula in 1953, following the Korean War.

As Kim crossed over to South, both leaders exchanged handshakes and pleasantries and held over an hour-long summit in a heavily fortified demilitarised zone.

Moon and Kim, the enemy turned friends, promised to work toward the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula during the summit.

The South Korean spokesperson also said that Kim had also revealed his plans to re-adjust its current time zone to match the South’s.

The Koreas used the same time zone for decades before the North in 2015 created its own “Pyongyang Time” by setting the clock 30 minutes behind South Korea and Japan.

Yoon said that the North’s decision to return to the Seoul time zone was aimed at facilitating communication with South Korea and also the United States.

(With inputs from agencies)