North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has expressed his willingness to rejoin the six-party nuclear talks by as early as July.

In a news conference following his return from the North Friday, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Kim had told him North Korea would return to the talks by as early as even July if Washington 'recognizes and respects' the country.

Chung quoted Kim as saying North Korea had simply been defying America's supposed disparagement of the Stalinist country and that Pyonygang has not given up on nor rejected the six-party framework.

During his meeting with the reclusive North Korean leader, Minister Chung delivered President Roh Moo-hyun’s verbal message to Kim on the nuclear issue and inter-Korean relations.

Chung and Kim also held in-depth discussion on pending political, economic, military and humanitarian issues.

The Seoul official quoted the North’s leader as saying that a previous inter-Korean agreement on de-nuclearizing the Korean peninsula remains valid.

On prospects for a long-awaited second inter-Korean summit, Kim reportedly said he would hold discussions on the matter at an 'appropriate time'.

Chung and Kim agreed to hold the 11th reunion of separated families at Mt. Geumgang on August 15th, with a North Korean government delegation in attendance.

They also agreed to resume inter-Korean official-level talks to quell potential instability along the maritime border in the West Sea and take measures to ease military tensions.

Chung held a five-hour meeting with Kim earlier in the day at the end of his four-day trip to Pyongyang for events to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the historic inter-Korean summit.