North Korea says it has destroyed a site for nuclear tests. In front of foreign journalists, three tunnels and some watchtowers were blown up deep into the mountains of the remote northeast of the country, posted eBuzzFeed.
The regime had not invited official foreign observers to dismantle the Punggey-RI site. The government hopes that the journalists – especially camera crews – make the message public and that the images of the explosions are broadcast everywhere.
The action was already announced by the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the run-up to his possible meeting with President Trump of the US, next month. It was regarded as a gesture of goodwill, but now the relations have cooled down again.
This morning, the North Korean Foreign Office said that US Vice President Pence is “a political failure” and that the US is just as willing to face a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.
The country responds to pressure from the US to get rid of its nuclear weapons in the short term and irrevocably. President Trump has already pointed out that the summit with Kim Jong-un can be postponed or cancelled altogether.
Both leaders have an interest in continuing. If the discussions yielded something, that would mean great diplomatic success for both.