Meanwhile, on the international front,. North Korea has vowed to join global efforts to ban all nuclear tests.
That's what North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said.... as he addressed the disarmament conference on Tuesday.
Our Kim Hyo-sun reports.
North Korea has proclaimed its intentions to join global efforts to ban nuclear weapons tests.
Its ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Han Tae-song told the Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday that (quote) "the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will join international desires and efforts for a total ban on nuclear tests."
This is the first time the regime has made such claims aimed at a total ban on nuclear tests.
While Han did not explicitly mention the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty,... watchers interpret the remark as Pyongyang's intentions to join the international agreement ahead of the historic North Korea-U.S. summit slated for June 12th.
Pyongyang has yet to rejoin the treaty,... since it withdrew from it in 2003.
It's one of the eight countries with nuclear test capability,... including the U.S., China and India,... which have not yet signed or ratified the treaty,... hindering the agreement from taking effect.
In his address,... Han also said the North aims to exert more efforts to develop inter-Korean relations and alleviate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The U.S. ambassador on disarmament, Robert Wood, welcomed Han's remarks,... adding that he hopes the upcoming summit between the two countries could serve as an opportunity to establish peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.
Han's announcement comes as the North said last weekend that it will completely destroy its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri,... in front of invited foreign media.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.