By Sohn JiAe

President Moon Jae-in welcomed North Korea’s decision to make public to international journalists the dismantlement of one of its nuclear test sites in Punggye-ri, Hanggyeongbuk-do Province, between May 23 and 25, as he called it an “initial action aimed at complete denuclearization by the regime." 

“The move is significant as it is the first step toward the North’s denuclearization process,” said President Moon in a meeting with his top aides on May 14 at Cheong Wa Dae. 

“I highly praise and welcome the dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site being done in public for the international community in a transparent manner, as well as the latest release of three Korean-Americans detained in the North,” said the president. 

He continued to say that, “This action is worth receiving positive attention in that Pyeongyang has shown pretty significant sincerity with the move to make the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit a success. I also recognize the fact that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is sincerely carrying out agreements he made with me at the Inter-Korean Summit in April, one by one, following the shifting of the North’s clocks to align with Seoul Time." 

As for the Washington-Pyeongyang summit to be held in Singapore on June 12, President Moon stressed that, “The summit is something that will decide the future of the Korean Peninsula and South Korea as well. The Korean government is now coming along to make the upcoming summit as successful as possible.” 

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