WASHINGTON, May 13. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump thanked the North Korean government for the decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

"North Korea has announced that they will dismantle Nuclear Test Site this month, ahead of the big Summit Meeting [between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore] on June 12th. Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!" the US president wrote on his Twitter page.

The North Korean foreign ministry announced earlier on Saturday that the public closing ceremony of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site will 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 Foreign Ministry said in a press release circulated by the country’s KNCA news agency that the number of reporters had been confined "in due consideration of small space" at the nuclear test ground.

The North Korean authorities had promised to dismantle the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in May, with the process being made public. The agreement to this effect was reached at a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Panmunjom on April 27. Kim Jong-un promised to invite journalists and security experts to North Korea to watch the process.