Kim gives in, but won’t give up

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would halt nuclear tests and intercontinental missile launches, in a Saturday announcement.

The news comes after President Donald Trump recently acknowledged that he sent the C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, to a secret meeting with Mr Kim to lay the groundwork for the first-ever meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea.

The limited commitment by the isolated Communist regime has earned the US President’s respect. Trump tweeted, “North Korea has agreed to suspend all Nuclear Tests and close up a major test site. This is a very good news for North Korea and the World - big progress! Look forward to our Summit.”

The EU said it was “positive”, but called for complete denuclearisation. Christopher Green of the International Crisis Group however on Twitter said, “I don't see how North Korean statement constitutes a step toward denuclearisation. It is a moratorium on testing, but recommits North Korea to nuclear weapons status.”

Analyst stressed caution over Kim’s words, noting that Pyongyang was likely to be seeking something in return. And wonder if the pain from sanctions is forcing Mr Kim to trade his nuclear arsenal. It is for the first time that the country’s economy is at risk from the strictest sanctions it has ever faced.

But N. Korea has long said its nuclear weapons are not bargaining chips, and Mr Kim himself has called them “a treasured sword of justice” and “a deterrent firmly safeguarding” his people’s “right to existence.”