North Korea reverts to angry tone as foreign media gathers for shutdown of nuclear test site
Pyongyang lashes out at the South over military drills with the US, sparking concerns about short-lived ‘peace’ between long-time rivals and whether Trump-Kim summit will go ahead
After weeks of flowery coverage of historic talks with South Korea and the United States, North Korea’s media returned to its trademark angry tone on Tuesday, just as foreign journalists arrived in the country to cover the demolition of its nuclear test site.
In a sign of how fragile cross-border ties are at a crucial time, Pyongyang newspapers savaged Seoul for carrying out war games with the US, while journalists from the South were refused visas and not allowed on the charter flight for foreign media from Beijing to Wonsan.
North Korea is allowing the small international group access to the site to publicise its promise to halt underground tests and launches of long-range missiles.
Leader Kim Jong-un promised to demolish the site during his landmark talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month, saying it would be done before the summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump on June 12 in Singapore.
But Pyongyang has cut off high-level contact with Seoul over the exercises with the US military.
