North, South Korea Sign Agreement on Denuclearization

South Korean President Moon Jae-in says his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un has agreed to permanently dismantle key missile facilities and will shut down Pyongyang’s main nuclear complex if the U.S. agrees to corresponding measures. The two sides agreed on a series of steps toward denuclearization during a historic summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday, the first time concrete actions for denuclearization have been pinned down since President Trump met with Kim in Singapore in June. Kim reportedly vowed to close missile-testing facilities at Tongchang-ri while international inspectors watch. In a scaling back of tensions, both sides have also agreed to withdraw 11 guard posts each in the Demilitarized Zone this year and cooperate for a joint excavation of war remains in the border area. A joint statement from the two Koreas also said the former rivals will seek rights to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics. “We have agreed to make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace that is free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threat,” Kim said while standing alongside Moon.