[Published: Wednesday September 19 2018]
 North Korea to shut missile site, says Moon
PYONGYANG 19 Sep (ANA) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has agreed to shut one of the country's main missile testing and launch sites, says the South's President Moon Jae-in.
After meeting in Pyongyang, the two leaders "agreed on a way to achieve denuclearisation," said Mr Moon.
The agreement was described by Mr Kim as a "leap forward" towards military peace on the peninsula.
Mr Kim also said he hoped to "visit Seoul in the near future" - he would be the first North Korean leader to do so.
The main focus of the summit was the issue of denuclearisation. While the US and North Korea agreed in broad terms earlier this year to work towards that goal, negotiations have stalled.
Mr Moon said Mr Kim had "agreed to permanently close the Tongchang-ri missile engine test site and missile launch facility" and, crucially, that this would be done "in the presence of experts from relevant nations".
The BBC's Seoul correspondent Laura Bicker said allowing independent inspectors to see the dismantling of the Tongchang-ri site was a major step forward.
She added that satellite images had suggested that Tongchang-ri was in the process of being destroyed, but that the declaration would allow inspectors to verify the process.(ANA)
FA/ANA/19 September 2018---------
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