North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has proven in the past that he would be willing to say anything to keep South Korea and the US at the bargaining table, even if he doesn't intend to follow through.
Just a few weeks after President Trump canceled a planned visit to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Kim on Wednesday announced that he would allow international monitors to enter the country and observe the dismantling of the North's nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, its primary source of nuclear fuel, amid a raft of other bilateral promises including plans for the North and South to field a joint team at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020 while seeking a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
While Moon heralded this announcement as an important breakthrough in attaining a "Nuclear-free" North Korea,it's worth noting that the North has promised to close down Yongbyon before - going as far back as 2007, according to NPR. In addition to Yongbyon, the North promised observed shutdowns of its missile engine testing site and launch pad in the Northwestern town of Dongchang-ri.
Seo Yu-suk, a research manager at the Institute of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the facilities at Dongchang-ri and Yongbyon are "Almost obsolete" and the North has mobile missile launchers that are easier to use and harder to detect, while there are likely covert sites elsewhere.
What's more, satellite images and other evidence released in recent months have found evidence that North Korea has continued clandestine work on its nuclear program.
Beyond Kim's nuclear promises, the two countries have also agreed that Kim will soon travel to South Korea for what will be the first visit by a North Korean head of state to the South.
They also plan to restart work at a joint factory park in the North border city of Kaesong and tours to North Korea's Mount Kumgang resort once certain conditions have been met to ensure that the North is working toward denuclearization.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-19/north-korea-pledges-dismantle-nuclear-reactor-shutter-missile-launchers
Just a few weeks after President Trump canceled a planned visit to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Kim on Wednesday announced that he would allow international monitors to enter the country and observe the dismantling of the North's nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, its primary source of nuclear fuel, amid a raft of other bilateral promises including plans for the North and South to field a joint team at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020 while seeking a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
While Moon heralded this announcement as an important breakthrough in attaining a "Nuclear-free" North Korea,it's worth noting that the North has promised to close down Yongbyon before - going as far back as 2007, according to NPR. In addition to Yongbyon, the North promised observed shutdowns of its missile engine testing site and launch pad in the Northwestern town of Dongchang-ri.
Seo Yu-suk, a research manager at the Institute of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the facilities at Dongchang-ri and Yongbyon are "Almost obsolete" and the North has mobile missile launchers that are easier to use and harder to detect, while there are likely covert sites elsewhere.
What's more, satellite images and other evidence released in recent months have found evidence that North Korea has continued clandestine work on its nuclear program.
Beyond Kim's nuclear promises, the two countries have also agreed that Kim will soon travel to South Korea for what will be the first visit by a North Korean head of state to the South.
They also plan to restart work at a joint factory park in the North border city of Kaesong and tours to North Korea's Mount Kumgang resort once certain conditions have been met to ensure that the North is working toward denuclearization.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-19/north-korea-pledges-dismantle-nuclear-reactor-shutter-missile-launchers
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