North Korea suspends missile tests

“From April 21, North Korea will stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles,” the Korean Central News Agency said.

The decision came after a meeting of the ruling Worker’s Party of Korea on Friday.

North Korea has defied international sanctions over its weapons programme.

In November, it said it had successfully tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the whole of the continental United States.

The test drew swift international condemnation. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Pyongyang had shown “complete disregard for the united view of the international community”.

The latest announcement comes during a thawing of relations between North and South Korea.

A telephone hotline has been set up between Mr Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and the two leaders are due to meet later this month for the first inter-Korean summit in over a decade.

Mr Kim is also expected to hold a summit with US President Donald Trump by June. If it takes place, it will be the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.