The two Koreas took a step forward in improving ties after resuming talks – over the Winter Olympics – with both sides displaying eagerness and sincerity for positive results.

Dr Graham Ong-Webb, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said North Korea can afford to defer testing as it is nearing the end of its nuclear programme, lacking just tests in re-entry technology.

He noted that if the regime makes good on its Olympic participation, it would have to suspend testing from now until mid-March, when the Paralympics end.

“Testing will become a non-negotiable deal-breaker in 2018. If Pyongyang can continue its moratorium on testing for a significant part of 2018, the ball will be in Washington’s court to invest in dialogue,” he told ST.

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