North Korea appears to be preparing for possible visits by external inspectors to verify that it has shut down its nuclear test site, South Korea’s intelligence agency said on Wednesday. Ruling party lawmaker Kim Min-ki shared the development with reporters after a closed-door audit session by the National Intelligence Service with parliamentarians, reported Yonhap.
“Signs have been detected that North Korea is doing some preparations and intelligence-related activity over a possible visit by outside experts, as it shut down the nuclear test site and demolished some of the missile launching facilities at Dongchang-ri,” the agency told the lawmakers, according to Kim Min-ki.
The agency also said that North Korea continued to engage in hacking attacks to steal information and money, and breaking into email accounts.
Earlier this month, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had agreed to give international inspectors access to the country’s nuclear and missile testing sites. Pompeo had said that the inspectors would visit a missile engine test facility and the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site as soon as the logistics are worked out.
In May, North Korea said it had dismantled its nuclear bomb test site in Punggye-ri as a goodwill gesture before a meeting with US President Donald Trump. During his meeting with Trump in Singapore, Kim promised to work towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula. Both leaders had signed a joint statement in which the US agreed to establish diplomatic relations.
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