Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that if North Korea were to soon engage in dialogue with the United States, it may ask for more up-front concessions than it has in previous years.

During a parliamentary audit on Tuesday, Cho said U.S. President Donald Trump's recent characterization of the North as "sort of a nuclear power" could serve to entice Pyongyang toward engagement.

The minister added, however, that the North could seek more in return for entering such negotiations than it did before U.S.-North Korea talks in 2017 and 2018, given that it has since forged a military alliance with Russia and bolstered relations with China.

Cho said there still is a possibility that Trump could meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to South Korea that starts Wednesday, adding that Seoul is on full alert to respond should a meeting be requested this week.

The minister said that Trump's plans to board an aircraft carrier with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi while visiting Japan suggest that Washington is making use of Tokyo as an ally as it works, in cooperation with Seoul, to ensure the security of Northeast Asia.