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North Korea suspending nuclear tests is big progress, says Donald Trump

April 21, 2018 14:44·

North Korea suspending nuclear tests is big progress, says Donald Trump

Kim tested three intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) - part of a sprint of over 20 missile tests a year ago - that showed North Korea had the range and technological prowess to strike as far as New York City and even Washington, D.C.

The plan was unveiled by the South's National Security Adviser, Chung Eui-yong, after he met Kim last month in Pyongyang.

Mark. All major news networks reported the North's decision to suspend its nuclear activities as breaking news, explaining the recent developments and background stories in the inter-Korean relations, as well as the U.S.

Trump tweeted shortly after the announcement from Pyongyang that Kim has declared that he would suspend nuclear and missile tests starting from Saturday and that he would shut down the site where the previous six nuclear tests were conducted.

Although hard to verify, this claim is not obviously an exaggeration or incredulous.

Those tests, plus a string of missile launches ordered by Kim throughout 2017, at one point appeared to be taking the peninsula to the brink of conflict.

North Korea has defended its nuclear and missile programmes in the face of worldwide condemnation and sanctions as a necessary deterrent against perceived United States hostility.

"The other connection here is that North Korea is the primary supplier to Syria of chemical weapons", he told Asman.

At the height of Pyongyang's standoff with Washington and Seoul past year, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters the country could conduct an atmospheric hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean. While the suspension could be a diplomatic gesture, Brennan warns that it could be because North Korea has already completing weaponizing their nuclear arms.

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 Mr Trump himself.

Scott LaFoy, a Washington-based satellite imagery analyst focusing on ballistic missile and space technologies, said Kim's comments should be seen as "the first part of a negotiation".

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On the one hand, that's surprising.

South Korea's presidential office said a successful test call was conducted on the hotline between Seoul's presidential Blue House and Pyongyang's powerful State Affairs Commission.

The professor also pointed out that North Korea had previously announced they had completed their nuclear deterrent.

To reach such an arrangement with the USA, the North has to sign a peace treaty with the South. For instance, while it has mastered most of what is necessary on a technical level to threaten the United States, its missile forces continue to be limited by a small number of launchers.

North Korea meanwhile will hold a plenary meeting of its ruling party's central committee on Friday, state media KCNA said on Thursday.

Ultimately, these test bans are restricted in their extent.

And Christopher Green of the International Crisis Group added on Twitter: "I don't see how North Korean statement constitutes a step toward denuclearisation".

But as long as North Korea hangs on to its missiles, it can break its self-imposed ban with little warning. The worst news came in December that year when North Korea said it had developed a hydrogen bomb.

That should be taken seriously. They are looking for sanctions relief.

The answer is simple: a summit with a USA president is enough of a prize in itself.

The Trump administration must move past Kim's dramatic announcement that was created to pull at our emotions and make us hopeful that peace is at hand.

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