North Korea says it will suspend nuclear and missile tests, shut down test site
TOKYO — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared he will suspend nuclear and missile tests starting Saturday, and that he will shut down the site where the previous six nuclear tests were conducted.
“From April 21, North Korea will stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles,” the Korean Central News Agency said in a report Saturday morning.
This came out of a meeting of the central committee of the ruling Worker’s Party of Korea held Friday to discuss policy issues related to “a new stage” in a “historic” period.
“The North will shut down a nuclear test site in the country’s northern side to prove the vow to suspend nuclear test,” KCNA reported.
This comes less than a week before Kim is due to meet with South Korean president Moon Jae-in in the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years. Moon has said that Kim is willing to discuss denuclearization and that he will not insist on American troops being withdrawn from South Korea as part of any deal.
This is a developing story, stay with Gazette.com for updates.
In this April 14, 2018, photo provided Monday, April 16, 2018, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, talks with Song Tao, unseen, head of the ruling Communist Party’s International Department, during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kim met the high-ranking Chinese diplomat, amid a flurry of diplomacy following Kim’s surprise visit to Beijing. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this April 14, 2018, photo provided Monday, April 16, 2018, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, talks with Song Tao, unseen, head of the ruling Communist Party’s International Department, during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kim met the high-ranking Chinese diplomat, amid a flurry of diplomacy following Kim’s surprise visit to Beijing. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)