Seoul’s Unification Minister has insisted South Korea and the U.S. are open to holding early negotiations with North Korea if Pyongyang displays a willingness to abandon its nuclear program.

During a parliamentary inspection of the Unification Ministry on Tuesday, Cho Myoung-gyon said Seoul and Washington are aiming for the complete denuclearization of the North, but are willing to negotiate with Pyongyang in advance, as long as the allies can affirm the regime's will to denuclearize.

Cho said he presumed Washington and Pyongyang are exploring the possibility of talks, but added the North is yet to show a willingness to enter such negotiations.

Lawmakers also asked the minister about China’s reported arrest of North Korean spies plotting to kill Kim Han-sol, the son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated in Malaysia early this year.

Cho, however, declined to comment, citing his ministry’s lack of information on the issue. 

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