South Korean President Moon Jae-in remains optimistic about the North’s alleged willingness to forgo hostilities, saying that demands from North Korea’s Kim Jong Un do not include deal-breakers that might stall a planned summit between the North Korean leader and U.S. President Donald Trump. Success, even a small one, on the nuclear front could mean a prolonged detente and smooth the path for a planned summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in May or June. WATCH: North Korea TV says the country will stop nuclear tests, abolish test site

The move comes amid a recent thaw in animosities, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un trying to reach out to Seoul and Washington after conducting his country’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test and three long-range missile test launches last year. But the North for decades has been pushing a concept of "denuclearization" that bears no resemblance to the American definition, vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its troops from the Korean Peninsula and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan. Trump nonetheless tweeted Sunday that the North has “agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, & no more testing!”

Trump’s pick to be the next secretary of state, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, traveled to North Korea on Easter weekend to lay the groundwork for the summit meeting. While former state department official Mintaro Oba said he has no doubt the U.S. president agreeing to meet with the North Korean leader is a "victory" for the North, the idea it's a substantive concession is overstated, he said.
South Korea ceases loudspeaker broadcasts directed at soldiers over the North Korean border ahead of a planned meeting later this week between leaders Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un.