“North Korea has announced that they will dismantle Nuclear Test Site this month, ahead of the big Summit Meeting on June 12th. Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
On Saturday, the North Korean state media reported that the ruling party decided to dismantle its only known nuclear test site Punggye-ri on May 23-25. The historic summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is slated for June 12.
The North Korean leader announced the decommissioning of the Punggye-ri site during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in late April. In his announcement, Kim explained that Pyongyang’s pursuit for nuclear weapons was complete so the test site was no longer needed.
Pyongyang conducted its last nuclear test in September. The international community has repeatedly condemned North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests and imposed sanctions on Pyongyang to curb its nuclear program.