Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's latest remarks are not different from his previous statements over the North's stance on the six-party talks.

Ban was referring to Kim's reported statement on Tuesday that his country would be willing to rejoin multilateral talks on its nuclear weapons program if certain "conditions" are met.

National Security Advisor Kwon Jin-ho also said the statement is similar to a separate statement previously released by North Korea's foreign ministry, warning that the remarks should not be accepted at face value.

Kwon added that it would be difficult to predict the fate of the six-party talks simply on the basis of Kim's remarks.