North Korea's Kim agrees to shut down missile sites 'permanently'?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will make a historic visit to Seoul "in the near future", he said today after a summit with the South's Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang. Moon, who went North looking to bring fresh momentum to the stalled effort to eliminate Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, said the trip could happen this year unless there were "special circumstances".
North Korea has carried out missile test launches from Sohae
Moon further said North had agreed to "permanently close" a missile engine testing site and launch facility in Tongchang-ri, "in attendance of experts from relevant nations". The North has carried out several missile test launches from Sohae in the area even though its ballistic missile program is banned under UN Security Council resolutions. It has also used locations like Pyongyang airport to fire rockets.
Moon says North could close its Yongbyon nuclear facility
Satellite pictures in August suggested workers were dismantling an engine test stand, in line with a promise already made to US President Donald Trump. Moon also said the North could close its Yongbyon nuclear facility if Washington takes "corresponding measures", a significant caveat.
Kim's visit to Seoul would be first since Korea's partition
A Seoul visit by Kim would be the first by a North Korean leader since the partition of peninsula decades ago after the end of 1950-53 Korean War. Seoul and Pyongyang have both been keen to promote inter-Korean ties, with Kim looking to secure cooperation from the far-wealthier South in economic projects, and Moon looking to reduce the risk of a US-North Korean conflict.
Moon's schedule for today
Today evening, Moon and his party will have dinner at the newly-opened Taedonggang fish restaurant on the banks of the eponymous river that flows through Pyongyang. Afterwards, he will attend a performance of the 'Mass Games', North Korea's spectacular, all-dancing propaganda display.
