A Foreign Ministry official has denied changes in U.S. policy on North Korea in the wake of the United States' acceptance of North Korean defectors.

The ministry's director of North American affairs Cho Tae-yong said on a KBS radio program Wednesday that Washington still seeks the peaceful resolution of the North's nuclear standoff through the six-party talks.

He also said Seoul's position is that U.S. acceptance of defectors should not affect the resumption of the talks, a stance which the other parties to the talks know well.

On reports saying the United States will accept about a thousand North Korean defectors, he said Seoul is not opposed to where defectors go and respects their free will.