No N. Korea ballistic missile, nuclear test in 2018, 1st in 7 years

North Korea did not carry out any ballistic missile or nuclear test in 2018 for the first time in seven years, underscoring Pyongyang's seriousness about putting more emphasis on economic improvement than on arms development.Although the outlook for its denuclearization negotiations with the United States remains uncertain, North Korea is likely to accelerate diplomatic efforts in 2019 in a bid to obtain security guarantees from Washington, foreign affairs experts say.Until the end of 2017, Pyongyang launched 55 ballistic missiles and conducted nuclear tests four times since 2012, one year …READ FULL ARTICLE