NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, said his country no longer felt bound by its self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles, its official media reported on Wednesday [1-1-20], the strongest indication yet that the country could soon resume such tests. Mr. Kim also said the world would witness a new strategic weapon ‘in the near future,’ according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, though no details were provided. North Korea has not conducted a long-range missile test or a nuclear test in more than two years. Mr. Kim had announced his moratorium at a time when he hoped negotiations with the United States — and his budding personal relationship with President Trump — would prompt the United States to begin lifting crippling sanctions. Mr. Trump, who has met Mr. Kim three times, has often cited the North’s restraint as a major diplomatic achievement.”
–Choe Sang-Hun, “North Korea Is No Longer Bound by Nuclear Test Moratorium, Kim Says,” The New York Times online, December 31, 2019