South Korea seeks 'speedy resumption' of US-North Korea nuke talks

South Korea's foreign minister called on Monday for a quick resumption of stalled US-North Korean nuclear talks, adding that her government stood ready to engage with Pyongyang to facilitate dialogue.

Kang Kyung-wha, addressing the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament, said: "A speedy resumption of the US-DPRK negotiations is critical so that all stakeholders maintain and build upon the hard-won momentum for dialogue. We stand ready to engage with the North in a way that facilitates and accelerates the US-DPRK dialogue."

North Korea told the Geneva forum last month that as the United States had ignored its year-end deadline for nuclear talks, it no longer felt bound by commitments, which included a halt to its nuclear testing and the firing of inter-continental ballistic missiles.