North Korea announced it would halt nuclear and missile tests starting today, April 21st.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife applaud during an event honoring the nuclear scientists and engineers who contributed to the successful hydrogen bomb test - Photo: REUTERS

Yonhap News Agency quoted a statement issued today (April 21) by North Korea's KCNA news agency. The statement also said: "North Korea will close a nuclear test site in the north of the country to demonstrate its commitment to halting nuclear testing."

The statement will be seen as a very important step in the diplomatic process surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea issued the announcement less than a week before the inter-Korean summit in the demilitarized zone between the two countries, and also just before a planned meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, possibly in May or June.

The KCNA news agency quoted Kim Jong Un as saying at a meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of North Korea. Kim stated that at this time, North Korea "does not need to conduct any more nuclear tests or long-range missile tests, or ICBM tests," and that "the northern nuclear test site has completed its mission."

Pyongyang has made very rapid technological advances in its weapons development programs under Kim Jong Un, despite facing numerous stringent sanctions from the UN Security Council, the US, the EU, South Korea, and other countries.

Last year, North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test, by far its most powerful, and also launched ICBMs capable of reaching the US mainland.

Immediately after North Korea's announcement, the US President responded on Twitter: "North Korea has agreed to halt all nuclear tests and close a major nuclear test site. This is great news for North Korea and the world – a major step forward."