North Korean Leader Announces Halt to Nuclear Tests
SEOUL (Dispatches) -- North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un announced early Saturday that his country no longer needed to test nuclear weapons or long-range missiles and would close a nuclear test site.
"The northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) will be dismantled to transparently guarantee the discontinuance of the nuclear test,” the KCNA said after Kim convened this year’s first plenary session of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker’s Party on Friday.
"As the weaponization of nuclear weapons has been verified, it is not necessary for us to conduct any more nuclear tests or test launches of mid- and long range missiles or ICBMs," Kim told the meeting.
"The northern nuclear test site has completed its mission," he added.
"We will concentrate all efforts on building a powerful socialist economy and markedly improving the standard of people’s living through the mobilization of all human and material resources of the country,” he said.
His announcement came just days Kim’s planned summit with South Korean President Moon Jae In next week and a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in late May or early June.
It was the second time in two days that he made what appeared to be a significant concession to the United States but in reality cemented the status quo.
North Korea already had stopped testing its weapons. Kim made no mention in his latest remarks of dismantling the nuclear weapons and long-range missiles North Korea has already built. On the contrary, he suggested he was going to keep them.
Still, Trump welcomed what Kim said. "This is very good news for North Korea and the World – big progress! Look forward to our Summit,” the president said in a Twitter message.
Moon’s office also praised the announcement. "We view the North’s decision as a significant step toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula the world has wished for,” said Yoon Young-chan, a spokesman for Moon.
"The northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) will be dismantled to transparently guarantee the discontinuance of the nuclear test,” the KCNA said after Kim convened this year’s first plenary session of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker’s Party on Friday.
"As the weaponization of nuclear weapons has been verified, it is not necessary for us to conduct any more nuclear tests or test launches of mid- and long range missiles or ICBMs," Kim told the meeting.
"The northern nuclear test site has completed its mission," he added.
"We will concentrate all efforts on building a powerful socialist economy and markedly improving the standard of people’s living through the mobilization of all human and material resources of the country,” he said.
His announcement came just days Kim’s planned summit with South Korean President Moon Jae In next week and a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in late May or early June.
It was the second time in two days that he made what appeared to be a significant concession to the United States but in reality cemented the status quo.
North Korea already had stopped testing its weapons. Kim made no mention in his latest remarks of dismantling the nuclear weapons and long-range missiles North Korea has already built. On the contrary, he suggested he was going to keep them.
Still, Trump welcomed what Kim said. "This is very good news for North Korea and the World – big progress! Look forward to our Summit,” the president said in a Twitter message.
Moon’s office also praised the announcement. "We view the North’s decision as a significant step toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula the world has wished for,” said Yoon Young-chan, a spokesman for Moon.