24 July 2018•Update: 24 July 2018
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
North Korea's apparent decision to dismantle one of its missile test sites "is a better sign than nothing," according to a leading South Korean security official Tuesday.
Nam Gwan-pyo, senior director from Seoul's presidential National Security Office, was asked by reporters about the claim by U.S. website 38 North that the North has started to disassemble Sohae Satellite Launching Station, which has been its main missile test center since 2012.
"It will likely have a good effect on denuclearization," Nam was quoted as saying by local news agency Yonhap.
Critics had grown restless over the lack of progress in North Korea since last month's historic summit between Chairman Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore.
While they agreed that Pyongyang would denuclearize, Washington has been unable to secure a timeline.
Still, Trump insisted in a Twitter post Monday that he is "very happy" about developments on the North Korea front.
Pyongyang's first significant denuclearization step this year came in May, when the reclusive state invited journalists to witness the demolition of its nuclear test site.
However, the North is yet to give up any of its nuclear weapons, which Pyongyang has claimed can strike the U.S. mainland.
