A month after the United Nations put into place the strongest-ever sanction measures on North Korea, Pyongyang began talking about the importance of dialogue.

Washington responded by saying the door to dialogue is open, but it said first the North should show sincerity by meeting preconditions, such as freezing its nuclear program and reporting to international authorities about its nuclear activities.

At a conference hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) in Washington on Monday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs Daniel Russel said North Korea must also allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials to revisit the country in order for the six-party talks to resume.

Russel’s remark came after the North’s National Defense Commission said in a statement last Sunday that stabilizing the current situation must take priority over imposing sanctions.

The North also claimed that there is growing consensus that arranging negotiations is the fundamental solution to alleviate tension on the peninsula.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck interpreted Russel’s words as providing some examples of the actions that would be widely accepted as evidence that the North is serious about giving up its nuclear program.
Cho, however, underscored that as long as the North refuses to change, South Korea and the international community will continue putting pressure on Pyongyang.

The North’s sudden emphasis on talks is considered by some pundits as an attempt to create a rift among the countries that have joined the latest sanctions placed on the regime under the UN Security Council Resolution 2270.

But, others see it as an indication that the North is indeed feeling the pinch of the sanctions.

Regardless of the North’s real intentions, some experts say Pyongyang’s conciliatory overture should not be overlooked, noting that its unknown how long the new international sanctions would remain effective.

Russel also said on Monday that talks on other issues may begin if the North meets the circumstances, apparently hinting that talks on a possible peace deal to formally end the Korean War could also begin within the six-party talks framework.