North Korea leader Kim Jong Un (Photo: internet)

North Korean state media said earlier on Saturday the country would immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap its nuclear test site.

The North Korean move “is a positive, long sought-after step on the path that has now to lead to the country’s complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation,” Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Mogherini said the two forthcoming summits were opportunities “to build confidence and bring about additional, concrete and positive outcomes.”

Separately, Britain also said on Saturday that North Korea’s plan to cease nuclear tests would be a positive step and that it hoped this was a sign of good faith. “A long term commitment from Kim Jong Un to halt all nuclear tests and ICBM launches would be a positive step. We hope this indicates an effort to negotiate in good faith,” the British government said in a statement. “We remain committed to working with our international partners to bring about our goal of a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and to do so through peaceful means.”

The Russian foreign ministry also released a statement welcoming the development. “We consider the given decision an important step towards the future easing of tensions in the Korean peninsula,” the ministry said.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said North Korea's announcement that it would immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests was a step in the right direction but added that Pyongyang must reveal its nuclear and missile programme.