Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 25 May 2018
N. Korea demolishes nuclear test site as journalists watch

Associated Press those two tunnels could
PUNGGYE-RI, North Ko- have been used to carry
rea (AP) — North Korean out more tests at any time,
leader Kim Jong Un made countering reports that the
good on his promise to de- Punggye-ri site had been
molish his country's nuclear rendered largely unusable
test site, which was formally after the six tests already
closed in a series of huge conducted there.
explosions Thursday as a Also blown up were obser-
group of foreign journalists vation posts and barracks
looked on. used by guards and other
The explosions at the test workers at the facility. A
site deep in the mountains tunnel on the eastern side
of the North's sparsely pop- of the facility had already
ulated northeast were sup- been shut down after an
posed to build confidence initial nuclear test in 2006.
ahead of a planned sum- North Korea said the de-
mit next month between molition of the facility did
Kim and U.S. President not cause any leakage of
Donald Trump. But Trump radioactive materials or
canceled the meeting on have any "adverse impact
Thursday, citing "tremen- People watch a TV screen showing a satellite image of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North on the surrounding ecologi-
dous anger and open Korea during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May cal environment."
hostility" in a North Korean 24, 2018. The journalists were allowed
statement released earlier Associated Press to stay at the site for about
in the day. nine hours.
The blasts were centered slides near the tunnel en- nuclear test ground con- ar test site had generally Getting to the remote site
on three tunnels at the un- trances and sent up clouds ducted with high-level been seen as a welcome required an overnight train
derground site and a num- of smoke and dust, includ- transparency has clearly gesture by Kim to set a ride from Wonsan, a port
ber of buildings in the sur- ed an Associated Press attested once again to the positive tone ahead of the city east of the capital,
rounding area. North Korea Television crew. proactive and peace-lov- summit. In a statement ear- Pyongyang. In typically se-
held a closing ceremony North Korea's state media ing efforts of the DPRK gov- lier Thursday, South Korea's cretive fashion, officials in-
afterward with officials from called the closure of the site ernment being made for National Security Coun- structed the media not to
its nuclear arms program in part of a process to build assuring peace and stabil- cil called the closing the open the blinds that cov-
attendance. "a nuclear-free, peaceful ity on the Korean Peninsula North's "first measure to- ered the windows of their
The group of journalists that world" and "global nuclear and over the world," the ward complete denuclear- train cars. They also were
witnessed the demolition, disarmament." North's official news agen- ization." not allowed to shoot pho-
which touched off land- "The dismantling of the cy reported late Thursday. Not everyone was as opti- tos from the vehicles they
North Korea's formal name mistic, however. took to the site from the
is the Democratic People's The closing of the site is not nearest train station, about
Republic of Korea. an irreversible move and 20 kilometers (12 miles)
Kim announced his plan to would need to be followed away. Back in Pyongyang,
close the site, where North by many more significant the outburst directed at
Korea has conducted all six measures to meet Trump's Pence, issued in the name
of its underground nuclear demand for real denucle- of a top Foreign Ministry of-
tests, ahead of a summit arization. ficial, came on the heels
with South Korea's Presi- North Korea also did not of another sharp rebuke of
dent Moon Jae-in in April invite international nuclear Trump's newly appointed
and the planned summit weapons inspectors, opt- national security adviser,
with Trump next month. ing instead for the impact John Bolton, and raised
But even as North Korea of the television footage to concerns that a major gap
made good on its gesture impress the world. had opened between the
of detente, it lobbed a ver- The event was, indeed, im- two sides.
bal salvo at Washington, pressive. Choe Son Hui, a vice min-
calling Vice President Mike The first blast the visiting ister of foreign affairs, was
Pence a "political dummy" journalists witnessed came quoted by the state-run
and saying it is just as ready at around 11 a.m. after news agency as slamming
to meet in a nuclear con- they made a 12-hour plus "ignorant" and "stupid"
frontation as at the negoti- trip by train and convoy comments Pence made in
ating table. through the night and over an interview with Fox News
Trump responded by can- bumpy dirt roads. That ex- that compared nuclear-
celing the summit, saying plosion collapsed the com- capable North Korea to
in a letter to Kim, "Sadly, plex's north tunnel, which Libya. Libya gave up its nu-
based on the tremendous was used for five nuclear clear program at an early
anger and open hostility tests between 2009 and stage only to see its long-
displayed in your most re- last year. time dictator overthrown
cent statement, I feel it is Two other explosions, at and brutally killed years lat-
inappropriate, at this time, around 2:20 p.m. and 4 er. The summit plan had hit
to have this long-planned p.m., collapsed the west a number of speed bumps
meeting." and south tunnels, accord- recently as both sides be-
North Korea's decision to ing to officials. North Korea's gan trading barbs and tak-
close the Punggye-ri nucle- state media stressed that ing tougher positions.q