North Korea’s delegation to a private seminar in the U.S. last week reportedly showed a flexible position on the six-way nuclear talks.

A source who participated in a seminar on North Korea said the North’s delegation, including deputy nuclear negotiator Ri Gun, expressed flexibility on the issue of the nuclear negotiations by suggesting that the North would be willing to hold bilateral talks within the six-way nuclear talks.

The seminar was jointly hosted by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the Korea Society in New York on Monday of last week.

According to the source, the North’s delegation said that although Pyongyang would clearly prefer to hold one-on-one talks with the U.S., it is also open to the six-nation talks.

The delegation then quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as saying that the North is always ready and willing to engage in talks with the U.S.

The North reportedly also said that it would welcome the stationing of U.S. forces in the region if Washington-Pyongyang relations improve.

On U.N. sanctions against the North, the delegation made it clear that although Pyongyang wants the sanctions lifted, their removal would not be a precondition to dialogue.