NK to dismantle Nuke Testing site

[KMack]

A good start.

North Korea to hold ‘ceremony’ dismantling nuclear test site ahead of Trump's summit with Kim

North Korea has scheduled a “ceremony” to dismantle its nuclear testing site on May 23-25 ahead of President Donald Trump’s summit with leader Kim Jong Un next month, state media said Saturday.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that all the tunnels at the country’s northeastern testing ground will be destroyed by explosion and that observation and research facilities and ground-based testing units will also be removed. The dramatic and symbolic event is part of the Hermit Kingdom’s pledge to discontinue nuclear tests.

“The Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test,” said the announcement. DPRK is an acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The nuclear site that will be dismantled is located in Pukyong, Yonhap News reported.

The announcement comes after Trump said he would hold a summit with Kim in Singapore on June 12. It will be the first meeting ever between a sitting U.S. president and the leader of North Korea.

Kim had revealed plans to shut down the nuclear test site during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said North Korea can look forward to “a future brimming with peace and prosperity” if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons.

The North said they plan to invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to inspect the process.

North Korea’s six known nuclear tests have taken place in Punggye-ri, a location in the northeastern part of North Korea where a system of tunnels have been dug under Mount Mantap, Reuters reported.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/05...ate-media.html

[Armenian Bishop]

NK has made these kind of pledges before, only to cheat with it, and use it to manipulate the situation. I don't trust them. But, something needs to be done, so I guess it's a good idea.

[KMack]

NK has made these kind of pledges before, only to cheat with it, and use it to manipulate the situation. I don't trust them. But, something needs to be done, so I guess it's a good idea.

Yes they are well known getting money for false promises.

[Gold-Shekel]

If Kim really wants to do that, he will be assassinated.

[Armenian Bishop]

The North Korean underground testing went awry last Autumn (2017), when a nuclear test blew a hole inside the mountain, and caused it to collapse into itself. The blown apart nuclear test site caused damage that can be observed with satellite photographs. This is probably why Kim Jong-Un agreed to halt nuclear testing in North Korea, because the test explosion has already disabled their testing program.

This news article explains it: "North Korea’s nuclear test site has collapsed ... and that may be why Kim Jong-un suspended tests."
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplo...hy-kim-jong-un

"The 100-kilotonne bomb that went off on September 3 vaporised surrounding rocks with unprecedented heat and opened a space that was up to 200 metres (656 feet) in diameter."

[KMack]

If Kim really wants to do that, he will be assassinated.

Sanctions are crushing them, we will see.

[Gold-Shekel]

Sanctions are crushing them, we will see.

They're crushing the poor and "middle" class, the leading class still lives well. I can see reforms happening but I don't see Kim giving up the weapons he already has.

[MysteriousWays]

I think the only way this happens is if we agree to move U.S. troops out of S. Korea. Also, the hard part is determining how many nukes N. Korea actually has. Most projections I have seen suggest 20-60, but it's difficult to determine, and this gives them the ability to mask things. From what I understand, their testing site collapsed and they do not have money to build a new one, so shutting it down officially is symbolically important, but won't have much real world change, at least for the time being.

It largely comes down to how much pressure Trump puts on China to keep up the sanctions and what China is willing to put up with.

[KMack]

They're crushing the poor and "middle" class, the leading class still lives well. I can see reforms happening but I don't see Kim giving up the weapons he already has.

True. Reforms for how people are treated by the government might be somewhere on the table. Maybe their government wants help modernizing the infrastructure, and really become part of the modern world. Maybe the leadership thinks they can make a lot more money. Who knows. More than anything they want $$$.

[KMack]

I think the only way this happens is if we agree to move U.S. troops out of S. Korea. Also, the hard part is determining how many nukes N. Korea actually has. Most projections I have seen suggest 20-60, but it's difficult to determine, and this gives them the ability to mask things. From what I understand, their testing site collapsed and they do not have money to build a new one, so shutting it down officially is symbolically important, but won't have much real world change, at least for the time being.

It largely comes down to how much pressure Trump puts on China to keep up the sanctions and what China is willing to put up with.

Nope. Get rid of all of your nukes, and nuke technology. If 25 years from now S. Korea has built up a decent Army and Navy and they are good to go then USA leaves. USA/S. Korea has is holding a hell of a lot more cards than NK.