Nuclear Facilities

[Anchor Lead]

The National Intelligence Service has reported to the National Assembly about North Korean nuclear facilities other than Yongbyon that U.S. President Donald Trump cited as the reason of the collapsed Pyongyang-Washington summit. The NIS said that Seoul and Washington are closely monitoring North Korea’s nuclear facilities aside from the one in Yongbyon, and that the discussion of Kim Jong-un's visit to Seoul should not be rushed.

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In a report to the National Assembly, National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon said that South Korea and the United States are closely monitoring North Korea's additional nuclear facilities aside from the one in Yongbyon. The facilities were cited as the main reason behind the collapsed talks between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. in Vietnam.

[Soundbite] Lee Hye-hoon(Chief, National Assembly Intelligence Committee) : "The NIS said that although Korea has the same information as the U.S., it is difficult to say at this point what nuclear facilities there are in the North Korea and where they are located."

The NIS said there have been no signs of operation at the Yongbyon nuclear facility since its suspension in late 2018. However, some movements were detected at the missile launch site in Tongchang-ri, such as the restoration of roofs and doors. The NIS says this is North Korea's intention to show that it wants to have successful denuclearization talks and dismantle the missile site rather than use it again as a missile base should the talks fail. The NIS report added that the reason behind the collapsed summit in Vietnam was Washington's pursuit of comprehensive denuclearization, whereas Pyongyang wanted to abandon its nuclear weapons in stages.

[Soundbite] Kang Kyung-wha(Minister of Foreign Affairs) : "This is meaningful in that the two sides now have a better understanding of each other's stances, and have narrowed differences on issues that will be discussed when they resume their talks."

The government believes that the discussion of Kim Jong-un's visit to Seoul should not be rushed, as Pyongyang may need more time to review its strategies. This means Seoul is determined to act as a mediator so that Pyongyang and Washington can resume their talks as soon as possible.