International Crisis Group

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s reported offer to impose a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests holds little water and is likely a tactic to win aid, analysts said Friday, explaining the tepid response in Seoul.

A Kremlin official said the proposal was made Wednesday during summit talks between Kim and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. But experts believe it was not taken seriously as Pyongyang could easily walk away from it.

“He could impose it if he wants but turn right around and lift it, saying conditions have been broken,” Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group said, adding that the North had taken such a path before. “It’s positive but not sufficient.”