N Korea's release of Americans shows Kim feeling pressure: analysts

Seoul

NORTH Korea's release of two detained Americans signals Kim Jong Un is responding to pressure from international sanctions over its weapons programme and a probe of human rights violations, analysts said.

"The recent movement shows a change in Kim Jong Un's regime," said Koh Yu Hwan, a professor of North Korea studies at Dongguk University in Seoul. "Kim has changed his stance and has decided he cannot ignore the international opinion if he wants to ease the sanctions against North Korea."