By Park Si-soo
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promised to dismantle a "northern" nuclear test site in May in full view of experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Cheong Wa Dae said on Sunday.
Kim made the promise during talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday, the president's top press secretary Yoon Young-chan said.
Kim said the site is still "usable" and "there are two more shafts that are bigger than the one (to be dismantled) which are sturdy," according to Yoon.
Kim did not specify the location of the site to be dismantled, but given the North's past announcement, it is believed to be in Gilju, North Hamgyong Province. On April 21, Kim declared the shutdown of the Gilju site, along with a freeze on missile and nuclear tests.
Many experts have claimed that the Gilju site collapsed under the stress of nuclear explosions. But Kim denied this.
"Some say that we are terminating facilities that are not functioning, but you will see that they are in good condition," Yoon quoted Kim as saying.
"The United States has a deep-seated distrust of North Korea. But if it talks with us, it would soon realize that I'm not the kind of person who would fire a nuke toward the Pacific Ocean or South Korea."
Kim added: "North Korea won't need nuclear weapons if trust with the U.S. is built and the end of the war and non-aggression are promised."
The North Korean leader said he will not repeat the "painful history of the Korean War," adding, "Concrete measures are necessary to stop any accidental military confrontation from happening."
Time zone unified
Kim also agreed to unify the time zones used in South and North Korea, where Seoul is 30 minutes ahead of Pyongyang.
"I feel sad to see that there are two clocks hung on the wall of the Peace House, one for Seoul time and the other for Pyongyang time," he said. "Since it is us who changed the time standard, we will return to the original one. You can make it public."
Until 2015, Pyongyang used the same time as Seoul but adopted its own standard time which was thirty minutes behind KST. The press secretary said this indicates Kim's willingness to actively coordinate with the international community.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promised to dismantle a "northern" nuclear test site in May in full view of experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Cheong Wa Dae said on Sunday.
Kim made the promise during talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday, the president's top press secretary Yoon Young-chan said.
Kim said the site is still "usable" and "there are two more shafts that are bigger than the one (to be dismantled) which are sturdy," according to Yoon.
Kim did not specify the location of the site to be dismantled, but given the North's past announcement, it is believed to be in Gilju, North Hamgyong Province. On April 21, Kim declared the shutdown of the Gilju site, along with a freeze on missile and nuclear tests.
Many experts have claimed that the Gilju site collapsed under the stress of nuclear explosions. But Kim denied this.
"Some say that we are terminating facilities that are not functioning, but you will see that they are in good condition," Yoon quoted Kim as saying.
"The United States has a deep-seated distrust of North Korea. But if it talks with us, it would soon realize that I'm not the kind of person who would fire a nuke toward the Pacific Ocean or South Korea."
Kim added: "North Korea won't need nuclear weapons if trust with the U.S. is built and the end of the war and non-aggression are promised."
The North Korean leader said he will not repeat the "painful history of the Korean War," adding, "Concrete measures are necessary to stop any accidental military confrontation from happening."
Time zone unified
Kim also agreed to unify the time zones used in South and North Korea, where Seoul is 30 minutes ahead of Pyongyang.
"I feel sad to see that there are two clocks hung on the wall of the Peace House, one for Seoul time and the other for Pyongyang time," he said. "Since it is us who changed the time standard, we will return to the original one. You can make it public."
Until 2015, Pyongyang used the same time as Seoul but adopted its own standard time which was thirty minutes behind KST. The press secretary said this indicates Kim's willingness to actively coordinate with the international community.
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