Moon Jae-in says North Korea to shut down missile site

Moon Jae-in/Agency Photo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has agreed to shut down one of his main missile testing and launch sites, said South Korea's President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday.

Kim agreed to take additional steps for denuclearisation, in an apparent gesture to restart the stalled talks with the US, Yonhap news agency reported. The agreement came in a historic summit between Kim and Moon held at the state guesthouse Paekhwawon here. The two leaders "agreed on a way to achieve denuclearisation" said Moon, the BBC reported.

The agreement was described by Kim as a "leap forward" towards military peace on the Korean Peninsula. He also hoped to "visit Seoul in the near future". He would be then the first North Korean leader to do so. "The North has agreed to permanently shut down its Dongchang-ri missile engine testing facility and missile launch pad under the participation of experts from related countries," Moon said in a joint press conference with Kim after the summit, broadcast live in Seoul.

The North also agreed to take additional steps, such as the permanent shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear facility, depending on the US' corresponding measures, he added. "The South and the North discussed denuclearisation steps for the first time," Moon added.

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