SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — North Korea announced that it will suspend nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches ahead of its summits with Seoul and Washington, but stopped short of suggesting it has any intention of giving up its hard-won nuclear arsenal. In his speech at the party meeting, Kim praised his nuclear policy as “a miraculous victory” achieved in just five years. And nothing in there mentions denuclearization, of any variety.”Narang noted that North Korea has already conducted as many nuclear tests as Pakistan and India — six — and may indeed not need to conduct any more underground testing. Seoul says Kim has expressed genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons. But North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of “denuclearization” that bears no resemblance to the American definition, vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its troops from the peninsula.

Source: National Post April 20, 2018 22:24 UTC