NKorea's Kim promises no more nuclear, missile tests
SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would halt nuclear tests and intercontinental missile launches, in yesterday's announcement welcomed by US President Donald Trump ahead of a much-anticipated summit between the two men.
Pyongyang's declaration, long sought by Washington, will be seen as a crucial step in the fast diplomatic dance on and around the Korean peninsula.
It comes less than a week before the North Korean leader meets South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a summit in the Demilitarised Zone that divides the peninsula, ahead of the eagerly-awaited encounter with Trump himself.
But Kim gave no indication Pyongyang might be willing to give up its nuclear weapons, or the missiles with which it can reach the mainland United States.
The North had successfully developed its arsenal, including miniaturizing warheads to fit them on to missiles, Kim said, and so "no nuclear test and intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic rocket test-fire are necessary for the DPRK now."
As such the North's nuclear testing site was no longer needed, he told the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party, according to the official KCNA news agency.
The party decided that nuclear blasts and ICBM launches will cease as of yesterday – the North has not carried any out since November – and the atomic test site at Punggye-ri will be dismantled to "transparently guarantee" the end of testing.
Within minutes of the report being issued, Trump tweeted: "This is very good news for North Korea and the World – big progress! Look forward to our Summit." Seoul too welcomed the announcement, calling it "meaningful progress" towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Pyongyang has made rapid technological progress in its weapons programes under Kim, which has seen it subjected to increasingly strict sanctions by the UN Security Council, the United States, the European Union, South Korea and others.
South Korean envoys have previously cited Kim as promising no more tests, but Saturday's news is the first such announcement directly by Pyongyang.
Japan – which has seen missiles fly over its territory – gave a mixed response, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offering a cautious welcome but his defense minister saying North Korea did not mention the short- or mediumrange missiles that put Tokyo within reach.
Beijing reacted positively to the statement from its traditional ally, saying it believed the move would "help to promote the process of denuclearization and attempts to find a political settlement" on the peninsula.
The US is seeking the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the North, while according to Moon, Pyongyang wants security guarantees, potentially leaving much space for disagreement.
The North has long demanded the withdrawal of US troops from the peninsula and an end to its nuclear umbrella over South Korea, something unthinkable in Washington.