Journalists heading to N.Korea for nuke test site closure

(MENAFN) A group of foreign journalists is on its way to North Korea to witness the planned dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the country's mountainous northeast.

According to a tweet from Sky News producer, teams of journalists from the US, Britain, China and Russia were on board a charter flight from Beijing, while South Korean journalists were denied permission to join the flight and Seoul's Unification Ministry said North Korea had not accepted its list of proposed participants.

According to officials, the site's tunnels will be collapsed with explosions, access will be blocked off, and guards and research staff ordered to leave.

The dismantling, however, is seen as a largely symbolic act as the site of six nuclear tests has reportedly become unstable, with scientists saying parts have already collapsed.

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