Denuclearization Steps

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea and the U.S. have announced their decision to halt joint military drills while denuclearization talks with North Korea are ongoing. The exercises were a point of friction on the peninsula for decades, and now that they’ve been suspended the ball is in Pyongyang’s court. Here’s a look at how the allies’ military decision might affect North Korea’s next steps.

[Pkg]

At Dongchang-ri, North Korea's main missile engine testing site, the Baekdusan engine tested well in March 2017, followed by the successful launches of mid-range missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The ICBM-grade missile Hwasong-15, launched last November flew to an altitude of 4,500 kilometers, putting the eastern United States, including the Washington D.C. area, into its firing range. Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump said at the press conference held immediately after his meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un that Kim promised to close down the missile testing site.

[Soundbite] (U.S. Pres. Donald Trump (Jun. 12))

The recent suspension of joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. supposedly aims to encourage North Korea to take denuclearization measures in the follow-up talks. The U.S. wants North Korea to close down its nuclear facilities and discard long-range missiles which threaten the mainland U.S. in return for removing military threats against North Korea. If North Korea also shuts down the testing site for submarine-launched ballistic missiles in Shinpo and the missile research complex in Pyongyang, denuclearization talks are likely to proceed even faster. Some experts even project that South Korean and American military authorities, having decided to put joint drills on hold, may bring up the removal of North Korea's long-range cannons deployed along the armistice line at a later meeting.