© 2026 ABC News

A message from Kim Jong Un: “North Korea will stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles.”
Also will “Shut down a nuclear test site in the country’s Northern Side to prove the vow to suspend nuclear tests.” Progress being made for all!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2018

The news came earlier this week that Mike Pompeo, Trump's as-yet-unconfirmed pick for secretary of state, met with Kim in early April. No details of the talks were released, though Trump said this week the meeting went \"very smoothly\" and the two got along \"really well.\"

Denuclearization of North Korea has been a key issue going into the talks between the U.S. and North Korea. The North is suspending, not freezing, its nuclear tests for now, but both Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have expressed high hopes that the North is ready to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for economic assistance.

Policy measures announced by the North’s state TV suggest that Kim aims to improve quality of living. The country's leaders is quoted as saying that North Korea's long-term economic plan is to \"provide proficient and culturally [advanced] lifestyle to all people.\"

\"North Korea's announcement signals a stepping stone for phased denuclearization,\" said An Chan Il, president of Seoul-based World Institute for North Korean Studies. \"They are showing proof to the world that they have begun their efforts to eventually denuclearize, starting with shutting down the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. Punggye-ri test site is known to be the one and only nuclear weapon facility in North Korea at the moment. A significant slowdown in this facility was monitored in March, adding evidence that North's announcement was not a spontaneous one.\"

Experts have cautioned that the wording of Kim's announcement specifically mentions a \"suspension\" and not a \"freeze.\"

\"For North Korea to announce a nuclear freeze, they must have mentioned shutdown of the nuclear facility in Yongbyon,\" said Kim Yong-hyun, professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University in Seoul. \"But this announcement said to suspend only the Punggye-ri facility and missile launches according to KCNA’s report. Still, there is a possibility open for discussion regarding Yongbyon facility which produces plutonium.\"

\"PHOTO:
Korea News Service via AP, File
PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, shakes hands with South Korean National Security Director Chung Eui-yong after Chung gave Kim the letter from South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in Pyongyang, North Korea, March 5, 2018.
>

\"Some say this beginning phase should be called a 'freeze,'\" said Kim Kwang-jin, a former congressman at the National Assembly’s Defense Committee. \"But others see a complete abolishment of already-made plutonium, uranium and missiles as a 'freeze.' That is why key terms should be clarified before the final negotiation.\"

South Korea's presidential office welcomed North Korea's announcement as well.

Presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan said in a written statement released Saturday, \"[The] North's announcement will brighten prospects for successful talks between Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington.\"

The statement referred to the North’s suspending of nuclear tests and missile tests as meaningful progress toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

\"It is not a declaration of nuclear dismantlement because it has not yet reached the consensus of some practical compensations for the abandonment of nuclear weapons,\" said Cheong Seong-Chang, director of unification strategic studies program at the Seoul-based Sejong Institute.

\"PHOTO:
Ahn Young-joon/AP
PHOTO: A South Korean marine soldier passes by a TV screen showing file footage of South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, April 18, 2018.
>

\"Since the economy has been in a state of containment after several nuclear tests and missile launches, the compromise with the international community was an inevitable choice for Kim Jong Un,\" Cheong added.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited Trump in Florida this week, was more cautious in his acknowledgment of Kim's announcement of suspending nuclear tests.

\"What is crucial here ... is how this development is going to lead to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of nuclear arms, weapons of mass destruction and missiles,\" he said. \"And I will keep a close eye on that.\"

ABC News' Hakyung Kate Lee contributed to this report.

Editor’s note: This story was corrected from its original version to reflect that North Korea says it is suspending nuclear testing, not its entire nuclear program.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/International/north-korea-suspending-nuclear-tests-ahead-anticipated-talks/story?id=54625881","legacySlug":"/news/story/north-korea-suspending-nuclear-tests-ahead-anticipated-talks-54625881","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"17:59","publishDate":"04-22-2018","updatedTime":"18:02","updatedDate":"04-22-2018","socialImage":{"alt":"This picture taken on April 9, 2018 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 10 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang.","credit":"AFP/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/kim-jong-un-gty-mem-180410_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"4/22/2018 17:59:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":54625881,"headline":"N. Korea says it's suspending nuclear tests","mediaAssetTitle":"CHO_SK_NK_NUKES_20180420","description":"North Korea says it will put tests on hold prior to talks between Trump and Kim.","duration":"2:32","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/04/180421_wn_moran_633_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["134977845","134871343","134611251"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"July 22, 2026","headline":"Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow sues his mother after drowning death","section":"News","slug":"/video/134977845","id":"134977845","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow sues his mother after drowning death","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow sues his mother after drowning death","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"July 18, 2026","headline":"New NASA images show Mars in motion","section":"News","slug":"/video/134871343","id":"134871343","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: New NASA images show Mars in motion","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: New NASA images show Mars in motion","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260718_gma_play_mars3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"July 9, 2026","headline":"Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","section":"News","slug":"/video/134611251","id":"134611251","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"N. Korea says it's suspending nuclear tests","description":"North Korea says it will put tests on hold prior to talks between Trump and Kim.","duration":"2:32","uploadDate":"04-22-2018","publication":"04-22-2018","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/04/180421_wn_moran_633_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/04/180421_wn_moran_633_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/north-korea-suspending-nuclear-tests-ahead-anticipated-talks-54625881"}},"playlist":[{"id":"134959102","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134926667","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134910526","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134846473","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134848966","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134761751","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134787741","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134782596","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134741027","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134751717","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134708317","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134548164","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134542058","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134416060","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134443994","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134406623","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134358132","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134353508","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134335187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134334942","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"N. Korea says it's suspending nuclear tests","pubTime":"13:59","pubDate":"04-22-2018","modTime":"14:02","modDate":"04-22-2018","taxonomyTags":"none","id":54625881,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"N. Korea says it's suspending nuclear tests","mediaAssetTitle":"CHO_SK_NK_NUKES_20180420","videoId":54625881,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/north-korea-suspending-nuclear-tests-ahead-anticipated-talks-54625881"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/54625881","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/54625881","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};