LOC10:21
07:21 GMT
TOKYO, May 23 (KUNA) -- North Korea finally accepted the list of South Korean journalists chosen to cover the dismantlement of the North's nuclear test site at the last minute on Wednesday, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The South Korean government welcomed the latest development, expressing hope that it could lead to the swift and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean Unification Ministry handed over the list of journalists to the North through the communication channel at the truce village of Panmunjom earlier in the day, which the North accepted, according to the report.
"The government welcomes that our press corps has been allowed to participate in the event marking the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site," a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying at a press briefing in Seoul.
"We expect that this will serve as a starting point for accomplishing complete denuclearization as swiftly as possible through the US-North Korea summit and talks at various channels," he added.
The date for the event has yet to be fixed, but it is expected to happen between Wednesday and Friday depending on local weather conditions. North Korea announced in mid-May that it will publicly shut down the test site located in the country's northern region in a ceremony to which media from South Korea, China, Russia, the US and Britain will be invited to cover. The North had declined to accept the list of South Korean reporters for days without providing any reason or explanation.
The Punggye-ri nuclear site is where the North carried out all six of its nuclear detonation tests.
The demolition is deemed a meaningful step toward the complete denuclearization affirmed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their historic summit last month. The move comes ahead of the highly anticipated summit talks between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12. (end)
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