A senior South Korean government official says the resumption of the six-way nuclear talks could be considered once North Korea makes practical progress toward denuclearization and stops advancing its nuclear capabilities.

The official made the remark on Thursday while meeting with South Korean journalists based in Washington.

The official also stressed the importance of consulting with China as Beijing could have new ideas. 

The official also downplayed remarks by the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. who said the U.S. is giving China a “mission impossible” by urging it pressure North Korea to scrap its nuclear ambitions. The official said China habitually comes out with similar comments in the process of negotiations.
 
The official said no one can argue that China plays a crucial role in denuclearizing North Korea.
 
On the possibility of the North carrying out another nuclear test, the official said no pending signs have emerged, but the North previously conducted nuclear tests around 20 days to a month after related announcements from its foreign ministry.

On the transfer of wartime operational control set to take place in December 2015, the official said the situations has changed since discussions first began on the transfer. He said negotiations should be held in a way that boosts joint South Korea-U.S. defense capabilities and maintains the security of the Korean peninsula.