Experts struggle to determine whether North Korea actually dismantled its nuclear test site
- North Korea claims to have destroyed its only nuclear test site, but it's difficult to verify whether this actually occurred, given experts have not been permitted to analyze the location.
- Pyongyang only allowed journalists to watch the site's destruction, and they lack the expertise necessary to provide verification.
- Experts say images and video footage are not enough to tell whether the site was actually made unusable.
North Korea claims to have destroyed its only nuclear test site, but it's difficult to verify whether this actually occurred given experts have not been permitted to analyze the location.
Pyongyang did allow a small group of journalists into the country to witness the destruction of the Punggye-ri test site, but these people lack the expertise to discern whether the site is indeed unusable.
At the moment, the only evidence available are images and video footage taken by these journalists. Experts say this is not enough to verify that the site is no longer usable and this is likely why North Korea only allowed journalists to watch its supposed decimation.
When presented with images and footage of the alleged destruction of the site, University of Rhode Island professor and explosives expert Jimmie Oxley told Business Insider, "I can't tell much from these pictures, which, of course, is the reason for journalists only."
Here are some of the images and footage taken by one of the journalists who was permitted to watch North Korean engineers detonate explosives in the mountainous test site's tunnels:
Tom Cheshire, the journalist who recorded these images, said in a tweet that he asked a North Korean official how he could tell the test site was fully destroyed. The official said "we had seen with our own eyes the sort of explosion produced," Cheshire said, adding that many questions surrounding "verification" remain unanswered.
"With this test site... a lot of this was very deliberately there for journalists," Cheshire further said while appearing on Sky News. "We definitely saw the tunnel entrances collapse but it's impossible to say what happened beyond that." He emphasized North Koreans are "masters of imagery," which leaves a great deal of room for skepticism about the destruction of the nuclear test site.
In other words, some are apparently suspicious North Korea made it seem as though it destroyed the test site, but could actually make it operational again without difficulty if it desired to.
The Trump-Kim summit could still happen
The Trump administration last week said North Korea broke a major promise in not allowing experts to come in and verify the site's destruction, as it explained after the president canceled a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The summit was set to be held on June 12 in Singapore.
There were signs on Friday that the summit could be salvaged, but many details still remain up in the air.
North Korean vice foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan on Friday released a statement that said his country's government was willing "to sit down face-to-face with the US and resolve issues anytime and in any format."
Subsequently, President Donald Trump told reporters, "We'll see what happens. It could even be the 12th. We're talking to them now. They very much want to do it. We'd like to do it. We're gonna see what happens."