Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan says time and patience is running out regarding North Korea’s nuclear issue.

Yu made the remark in a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after holding talks with the top U.S. official in Washington Wednesday.

Yu said he hopes North Korea will submit a nuclear declaration as soon as possible so as not to lose good timing.

Rice also said now is the time for there to be progress on the declaration so that the next phase of the North’s nuclear dismantlement can begin.

Rice added that Washington is looking to hold consultations with Seoul on South Korea’s possible participation in the U.S. missile defense program and Proliferation Security Initiative. She said the two nations will continue to talk about the threats of the future.

Asked what is the link between humanitarian aid to North Korea and the current impasse on the nuclear talks, Yu said providing annually a larger scale of food is not 100 percent humanitarian. But he added that if there is a big necessity in North Korea, food aid should be provided without any conditions.