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National News
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| North Korea says it will stop nuclear tests, abolish test site | | | |  North korea 21 April 2018
North Korea will suspend nuclear and missile tests effective immediately and abolish a nuclear test site in a bid to pursue economic growth and peace on the Korean peninsula, the North's state media said on Saturday, ahead of planned summits with South Korea and the United States.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country no longer needed to conduct nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile tests because it has completed its goal of developing nuclear weapons, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
North Korea also said it would engage in talks with the international community, paving the way for the summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in planned for next week and a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in late May or early June.
Trump on Friday welcomed the statement and said he looked forward to a summit with Kim.
The announcement came after decades of nuclear tension on the Korean peninsula, pressure from the Trump administration, the death of American university student Otto Warmbier and attempts by then-presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to discontinue Pyongyang's nuclear program.
North Korea has defended its nuclear and missile programs in the face of worldwide condemnation and sanctions as a necessary deterrent against perceived U.S. hostility. | | | | |
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