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North Korea receives list of journalists from South Korea to cover nuclear site closure

Earlier, Pyongyang refused to accept the list from Seoul several times without explaining the reasons

TASS, May 23. North Korea has received a list of eight journalists from South Korea who plan to attend the closing ceremony of its nuclear testing facility at Punggye-ri scheduled for this week, according to Yonhap News Agency.

According to the agency’s course, the list of journalists was transferred to North Korea via the communication channel at the border point of Panmunjom at 09:00 local time (03:00 Moscow time). The exact time when representatives of the South Korean media will go to North Korea was not specified.

According to the agency, earlier Pyongyang refused to accept the list from Seoul several times without explaining the reasons. Presumably, this was due to joint military maneuvers by South Korea and the United States, which North Korea considered a violation of the agreements reached at the inter-Korean summit on April 27.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry announced earlier that the public closing ceremony of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site would take place between May 23 and 25. The exact date will depend on weather conditions. Currently, Pyongyang is conducting required technical preparations. Journalists from five countries - South Korea, China, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom - have been invited to attend the ceremony.

The agreement on dismantling the site was reached at a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Panmunjom on April 27.