Analysis North Korea’s controlled demolition at Punggye-ri: some key pointsIt is unclear how comprehensively the tunnel complexes were collapsed, though a return to testing remains unlikely On Thursday, May 24, as anticipated, North Korean authorities linked to the “Nuclear Weapons Institute of the DPRK” sealed off three tunnel entrances at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the presence of over 20 foreign journalists. A statement released by the Nuclear Weapons Institute called the event a “ceremony… to ensure transparency of the discontinuance of nuclear test[ing]” previously agreed on by the country’s ruling party on April 20. No journalists are previously known to have visited the site previously. According to CNN’s Will Ripley, the North Korean authorities allowed the journalists to look © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. |