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WORLD NEWS Saturday 21 april 2018

North Korea says

it has suspended

nuclear, missile testing

By KIM TONG-HYUNG The North's official Korean
Associated Press Central News Agency said
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — the country is making the
North Korea said Saturday move to shift its national fo-
it has suspended nuclear cus and improve its econo-
and long-range missile tests my.
and plans to close its nucle- The North also vowed to
ar test site. actively engage with re-
The announcement came gional neighbors and the
ahead of a new round of international community
nuclear negotiations be- to secure peace in the Ko-
tween Pyongyang, Seoul rean Peninsula and create
and Washington, but there an "optimal international
was no clear indication in environment" to build its
the North's announcement economy.
if it would be willing to deal The announcements came
away its arsenal. days before Kim is set to
The North rather expressed meet South Korean Presi-
confidence about its nu- dent Moon Jae-in in a bor-
clear force, which leader der truce village for a rare
Kim Jong Un declared as summit aimed at resolving
complete in November the nuclear standoff with
after a slew of weapons Pyongyang.
tests that included the un- A separate meeting be-
derground detonation of a tween Kim and Trump is an-
purported thermonuclear ticipated in May or June.
warhead and flight tests of The North's decisions were
three intercontinental bal- made in a meeting of the
listic missiles. ruling party's full Central
Some analysts believe Kim Committee which had
is entering the negotiations convened to discuss a
from a position of strength "new stage" of policies.
and is unlikely to accept a The Korean Workers' Par- In this April 9, 2018, file photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim
significant cut of his arse- ty's Central Committee Jong Un attends a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party
nal. South Korean and U.S. declared it a "great vic- of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea.
officials have said Kim is tory" in the country's offi- Associated Press
likely trying to save his bro- cial "byungjin" policy line
ken economy from heavy of simultaneously pursuing the suspension of nuclear ceeded scientifically and pressed genuine interest in
sanctions, economic and nuclear de- tests, we will close the re- verified the completion of dealing away his nuclear
After the announcement velopment. public's northern nuclear nuclear weapons. weapons. But North Ko-
Saturday about testing, U.S. The committee unanimous- test site," the party's resolu- "We no longer need any rea for decades has been
President Donald Trump ly adopted a resolution that tion said. nuclear test or test launch- pushing a concept of "de-
tweeted, "This is very good called for concentrating The agency quoted Kim as es of intermediate and in- nuclearization" that bears
news for North Korea and national efforts to achieve saying during the meeting: tercontinental range bal- no resemblance to the
the World" and "big prog- a strong socialist economy "Nuclear development has listic missiles and because American definition, vow-
ress!" and "groundbreaking im- proceeded scientifically of this the northern nuclear ing to pursue nuclear de-
He also said he's looking provements in people's and in due order and the test site has finished its mis- velopment unless Washing-
forward to his upcoming lives." development of the deliv- sion." ton removes its troops from
summit with Kim. "To secure transparency on ery strike means also pro- Seoul says Kim has ex- the peninsula.q