North Korea Readies Nuclear, Missile Sites for International Inspectors

Pompeo: US inspectors will be allowed at 'significant' sites this month

Reports citing South Korean officials say that North Korea is making unspecified preparations at several different nuclear and missile testing sites around the country. It is believed they are being prepared for visits from international observers.

This is in keeping with comments from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who reported that US inspectors will be allowed to visit two “significant” sites in North Korea in November. The exact details were not disclosed, but he said the hope was to get inspectors there “before too long.”

The sites North Korea was focusing on were Punggye-ri, the dismantled nuclear testing site, and Sohae Satellite launching ground. Punggye-ri was imploded earlier this year, while North Korea promised to dismantled Sohae in September.

While all signs are that North Korea followed through with this, critics of the diplomatic progress have complained there was a lack of verification. It is believed that the US inspectors will provide some level of verification of a

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.