North Korea offers direct talks with US on proposed nuclear test halt

North Korea has offered to hold direct talks with the United States on its proposal to suspend nuclear tests, and suggested dialogue could pave the way to changes on the Korean peninsula.

In a message passed to the US side on January 9, Pyongyang made the offer to suspend nuclear tests if the United States temporarily scrapped joint military exercises in South Korea.

The US State Department rejected the tit-for-tat offer as an “implicit threat” but said it “remains opens to dialogue” with Pyongyang.

North Korea’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, An Myong-hun told a news conference that the offer still stands.

“We are ready, the government of the DPRK is ready, to explain its intention behind its proposal directly to the United States,” said the envoy.

“We are ready for that, if the United States wants additional explanation about the proposal.”

The envoy indicated that the talks could lead to broader engagement.

“If this proposal is put into practice this year, many things will be possible,” he said.

“I can’t go any further, but many things will be possible this year.”

The US, which has close to 30,000 troops permanently stationed in South Korea, conducts a series of joint military exercises with its key Asian ally every year.

Seoul and Washington insist the drills are defensive in nature, but they are regularly condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests – the last in February 2013 – and recently threatened a fourth in response to a UN resolution condemning its human rights record.