North Korea willing to begin talks with South

North Korea is open to immediate talks with South Korea if Seoul responds to several preconditions for dialogue, a North Korean military official has confirmed.

Ri Son Gwon, a colonel working for the policy department of the North’s powerful National Defence Commission, also challenged South Korea to “state to the world whether it honestly intends to enter into dialogue with us.”

The comments came a day after a senior US diplomat said Washington is open to settling a nuclear standoff with North Korea through diplomacy if Pyongyang first improves ties with Seoul.

“The South speaks loudly of dialogue in public, but behind the scenes it also says it cannot shake the principles that plunged North-South Korean ties into complete deadlock,” Mr Ri said in Pyongyang.

He added: “If clear answers are given, dialogue will resume immediately. The resumption of dialogue and the improvement of relations hinge completely on the willingness of the South’s government.”

In the form of an “open questionnaire,” the North laid out nine points for South Korea to respond to, including ending US-South Korean military drills. The statement backed away from earlier vows to shun Seoul’s conservative leader.

South Korea quickly called the statement “unreasonable,” but its timing and the change in tone after weeks of Pyongyang refusing to talk with South Korean president Lee Myung-bak could signal a willingness to ease tensions, analysts said.

The North said South Korea should apologise for failing to show proper respect to former leader Kim Jong Il during the mourning period after his death.