북한 풍계리 핵실험장 폐기,... 한국 취재진 출국
This is the week North Korea promised to invite reporters from five countries to watch the dismantlement of the regime's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri.
The first batch of South Korean reporters left for Beijing this morning,... for a stopover,... before hopefully taking the short flight to the North.
But they are traveling under a cloud of uncertainty as Pyongyang appears to be refusing to accept their visa applications, a must for them to enter North Korea to cover the event.
For more, we connect live to our Lee Ji-won at Seoul's foreign ministry.
Jiwon, so still no word from North Korea on these visas?

Nope Ji-yoon not yet.
Seoul's Unification Ministry sent the list of reporters to the North once again this morning for their confirmation,... but still no response.
As for the journalists who left this morning,... four South Korean reporters from news agency, News1 arrived in Beijing about an hour ago.
The second group of broadcast reporters will leave Seoul in the afternoon.
Those already in China are expected to visit the North Korean embassy in Beijing right away to try and get a visa for their travel to the North on Tuesday.
But whether or not they will actually be given a visa remains up in the air as the North did not accept the list of South Korean reporters... or questions on how the event will be arranged, which were delivered through the Panmunjom channel late last week. The sudden rift between the two Koreas comes despite the recent reconciliatory mood. It appears to be due to South Korea-U.S. joint military drills and a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South openly criticizing the regime last week at South Korea's National Assembly.

So the South Korean reporters are still in limbo,... but there are journalists coming in from other countries like the U.S., China, Russia and the UK. Have they been given the greenlight?

Yes Ji-yoon, what we know so far is that reporters from ABC and CNN, were asked by the North to gather at the North Korean embassy in Beijing on Tuesday morning.
If all goes as planned, the reporters are expected to leave for North Korea's Wonsan Kalma airport by a chartered plane on Tuesday.
Wonsan is where the reporters will have their accommodation and there will also be a press center there.
From Wonsan, the reporters will take a train to get to the test site which could take place any day between Wednesday to Friday.
The reporters are expected to leave North Korea on Saturday or Sunday.
Meanwhile, U.S.-based North Korea monitoring website, 38 North reports that the dismantling of the test site has begun.
According to satellite images, 38 North says several key operational support buildings have been razed, and some of the rails for the mining carts that go in and out of the tunnels have also been removed.
What's also notable is that four rows of small structures, placed on the hillside some 200 meters south of the site's West Portal, have become much more visible.
While their purpose remains unclear, it's thought they could've been constructed for the reporters to safely watch the test site being demolished.
Back to you Ji-yoon.

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