North Korea is reiterating that it will decide whether or not to return to the six-party nuclear talks based on the results of its bilateral contact with the U.S.

The vice director of the North’s Peace and Disarmament Institute told a symposium in Beijing that his country will return to the six-way nuclear talks if the U.S. discards its so-called hostile strategy toward the North.

The symposium was attended by academics and former government officials from participants to the multilateral denuclearization talks, including South Korea, China and the U.S.