Inside Story

Is North Korea changing its priorities?

Pyongyang pledges to close its nuclear test site and Kim Jong-un says the world can watch it being dismantled.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promised to shut down the country’s nuclear test site next month.

He reiterated the pledge during the historic summit with South Korea‘s President Moon Jae-in on Friday.

But there is no word on the future of the North’s ballistic missiles programme, or whether Kim will bow to demands from US President Donald Trump to get rid of nuclear weapons altogether.

North Korea’s state media said before the summit that Pyongyang wants to focus on economic growth – a marked departure from its usual hostile rhetoric.

How will this play out inside North Korea?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Tariq Rauf – Former head of the verification and security policy coordination office at the International Atomic Energy Agency

Peter Ward – writer for NK News who researches North Korea’s economy