North Korea's nuclear pledge adds momentum to South's preparations for summit
South Korea's preparations for its first summit with North Korea in more than a decade are in full swing this week, officials said on Sunday, a day after the North's pledge to end its nuclear tests raised hopes but also scepticism.
North Korea said on Saturday it was suspending nuclear and missile tests and scrapping its nuclear test site, and instead pursuing economic growth and peace ahead of planned summits with South Korea and the United States.
The announcement was welcomed by leaders around the world including US President Donald Trump.
But some have expressed doubts about the North's intentions and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be under intense international scrutiny when he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday.
"North Korea has a long history of raising the issue of denuclearisation and has committed to freeze its nuclear weapons programs in the past. We all remember how those pledges and commitments went down over past decades," said Nam Sung-wook, a professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul.
