North Korea offers to suspend nuclear tests — if U.S. and South Korea end military drills

North Korea offers to suspend nuclear tests — if U.S. and South Korea end military drills
(Image credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

North Korean official news agency KCNA reported on Saturday that the country used "a relevant channel" to send Washington a proposal on Friday, Reuters reports.

However, the floated deal — North Korea will halt its nuclear tests if the U.S. stops conducting military drills with South Korea — is similar to others made by Pyongyang before. They never stick, Reuters notes. North Korea calls its goal of creating a nuclear arsenal its "sacred sword" — in 2012, the country agreed to halt nuclear tests in exchange for an easing of tensions with the U.S. But Pyongyang called off the deal two months later.

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.