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Kim Jong Un Agrees To Shut Down Missile Site, South Korean President Says

Published on: September 19, 2018 at 5:33 AM
By Maria Goncalves

President Moon Jae-in said North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un agreed to shut down one of the country’s biggest missile testing and launch sites.

According to CNN , North Korea said it was willing to dismantle its primary nuclear complex if the United States agreed to “corresponding measures.”

The two presidents made the joint announcement on the second day of their three-day summit. This is their third meeting this year, and their joint efforts with the U.S. are part of a bid to achieve peace in the peninsula.

Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in promised to commit to “an era of no war” as they spoke to the media on Wednesday after a signing ceremony in Pyongyang. Jae-in is the first South Korean president to visit the neighboring country since 2007.

“The era of no war has started. Today the North and South decided to remove all threats that can cause war from the entire Korean peninsula,” he said.

The North Korean President also said the “divided nation” was ready to reconcile, and he stated he hoped to “visit Seoul in the near future,” as reported by the BBC .

“The world is going to see how this divided nation is going to bring about a new future on its own,” he said, gathering applause from those present.

The two leaders agreed to several measures, including a plan to create rail and road links between both countries, and even a proposal to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics.

However, the main focus of the encounter was the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, an issue previously debated between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un earlier in the year when they met in Singapore.

Although the negotiations between the two countries seem to have stalled recently, Pyongyang has now reaffirmed its intention to fully commit.

During the press conference, Moon said Kim had “agreed to permanently close the Tongchang-ri missile engine test site and missile launch facility” and allow experts from both nations to supervise the process, the BBC stated.

Allowing independent supervisors is a major step in reaching the final goal, as the Tongchang-ri site has been North Korea’s main satellite launch facility for the past six years. It has also been used to test engines for intercontinental ballistic missiles that are capable of reaching the U.S.

Political analysts claim it is now on Washington to make the next move. President Trump tweeted shortly after the Wednesday announcement that the agreed developments were “very exciting.”

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