Explainer - Why nuclear disclosure is key first step in North Korea's denuclearisation

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends joint news conference in Pyongyang, North Korea, September 19, 2018. Pyeongyang Press Corps/Pool via REUTERS

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New pledges made last week by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to curb his nuclear weapons programme may have opened the door to further talks with Washington, but just how much impact would they have on the North's nuclear arsenal?

At last week's summit with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, Kim promised to allow outside inspections on key missile facilities, and expressed a willingness, for the first time, to "permanently" scrap North Korea's main nuclear complex.