( 4 th LD ) N . Korea stays mum on proposed list of S . Korean journalists to cover nuclear site shutdown ( ATTN : UPDATES with S . Korean journalists ' arrival in Beijing in paras 15 - 18 ; CHANGES photo ) SEOUL , May 21 ( Yonhap ) -- North Korea has not accepted South Korea ' s proposed list of journalists chosen to cover a ceremony for the dismantlement of a nuclear test site planned for this week , the unification ministry said Monday . The ministry tried again on Monday to convey the list of the reporters selected to cover the shutdown of the Punggye - ri nuclear site through the communication channel in the morning and late in the afternoon , but the North has not responded on the matter , according to a ministry official . " Today ' s communication channel closed . .. The list of our journalists was not delivered ( to the North ) , " the official said on condition of anonymity . North Korea announced on May 12 that it will publicly dismantle the test site located in the country ' s northern region in a ceremony to which media from South Korea , China , Russia , the United States and Britain will be invited to cover . The North later invited four South Korean reporters each from a newswire and a broadcasting company for the event to be held from Wednesday to Friday , depending on weather conditions . The site , located in the northeastern region of the North , is where the North carried out all six of its nuclear denotation tests . " We hope that the event to dismantle the Punggye - ri nuclear site goes as planned without a problem , " unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae - hyun told reporters at a regular press briefing in response to a question about whether South Korean media could be excluded from covering it . Unification Minister Cho Myoung - gyon also called on the North to take " positive " steps with regards to allowing the South Korean journalists to join the event for the dismantlement , which he called a " meaningful " initial measure toward complete the denuclearization promised by the North . " We will wait and see . . .. We will do our best until the last minute , " he said told Yonhap News Agency on the sidelines of a forum held in central Seoul . The North has ramped up its criticism of South Korea after abruptly canceling high - level talks with the South slated for Wednesday to discuss follow - up measures to the April 27 inter - Korean summit , taking issue with ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States . The South Korean government expressed regret over the unilateral decision , urging the North to come out for talks as soon as possible to discuss follow - up measures to the April 27 inter - Korean summit agreement . The North doubled down on its criticism , with Ri Son - gwon , the chief of North Korea ' s agency handling affairs with the South , saying Thursday that talks will not happen if Seoul and Washington continue their joint military drills . Experts say the probability remains low that the North will cancel the high - profile event aimed at showcasing the shutdown of the nuclear site to the world altogether as it is seen as a major step toward denuclearization , which will dominate the agenda of its much - anticipated summit with the U . S . next month . 38 North , a U . S . website dedicated to monitoring developments in North Korea , earlier reported that satellite imagery shows that North Korea is preparing to build an observation stand for the dismantling of its nuclear test site . On Sunday , a South Korean source said North Korea has shown signs of repairing and testing the safety of sections of a 270 - kilometer railway between the eastern coastal city of Wonsan and Kilju in North Hamgyong Province , where the Punggye - ri site is located . With their status still in limbo , the South Korean journalists arrived in Beijing on Monday . According to a pool report , some of the journalists visited the North Korean embassy in Beijing . They considered filing for a visa directly at the embassy but decided to wait for further development between the Koreas . One reporter was bombarded with questions from dozens of South Korean and Japanese correspondents in the Chinese capital and responded , " We ' re discussing ( our next step ) and you just have to wait and see . " Journalists from the U . S . , China , Russia and Britain have reportedly been granted visas and are scheduled to take a chartered North Korean plane on Tuesday . If allowed , the South Korean journalists are also scheduled to fly from Beijing to Wonsan on Tuesday by a charter plane and to travel by train to a region near the test site before returning home either on Saturday or Sunday , according to Seoul ' s unification ministry . In this photo by Joint Press Corps , South Korean journalists selected to cover the dismantlement of North Korea ' s key nuclear test site arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport on May 21 , 2018 . The North said it would allow journalists from South Korea , China , Russia , the United States and Britain to report on the dismantlement between May 23 - 25 , pending weather conditions , but the South Korean journalists ' s status remains in limbo with Pyongyang yet to grant them their visas . ( Yonhap ) kokobj @ yna . co . kr ( END )