DPRK to suspend nuclear, ICBM tests

PYONGYANG, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The DPRK will suspend nuclear tests and inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests immediately from Saturday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday.

The decisions were made by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korean (WPK) on Friday, according to the KCNA.

"We will discontinue nuclear test and inter-continental ballistic rocket test-fire from April 21, 2018. The northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK will be dismantled to transparently guarantee the discontinuance of the nuclear test," KCNA said.

"The discontinuance of the nuclear test is an important process for the worldwide disarmament, and the DPRK will join the international desire and efforts for the total halt to the nuclear test," KCNA said.

According to the decisions, the DPRK will never use nuclear weapons nor transfer nuclear weapons or nuclear technology under any circumstances unless there are nuclear threats and nuclear provocations against the DPRK.

"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," the DPRK's official news agency said.

The DPRK "will create international environment favorable for the socialist economic construction and facilitate close contact and active dialogue with neighboring countries and the international community in order to defend peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the world," it added.

Kim Jong Un, the top leader of DPRK, attended the meeting where the decisions were made. He said that the mission to develop the nuclear force had been finished and now the strategic route of the WPK is to concentrate on economic construction. Enditem