N. Korea, U.S. resume nuclear talks

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- Envoys from North Korea and the United States resumed talks Friday to explore the steps needed to resume the six-nation talks on ending the North's nuclear weapons program, after holding a first day of substantive discussions. The Beijing talks, the first since the December death of the North's longtime leader Kim Jong-il, are widely seen as a chance to gauge whether Pyongyang's new regime under young leader Kim Jong-un is open to negotiations to give up its nuclear ambition. Ending the first day of talks on Thursday, neither side gave any details of what progress had been made, but both sounded a positive note. U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, Glyn Davies, said the talks were "substantive and serious," while the North's long-serving nuclear envoy Kim Kye-gwan termed the discussions "positive." The six-party talks, which involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were last held in Beijing in late 2008. Shortly before Kim's death, North Korea and the U.S. appeared to be ready to announce a breakthrough that could have led to a resumption of the six-nation talks. North Korea and the U.S. had been poised to reach a deal in which Pyongyang would halt its uranium enrichment program in return for a resumption of Washington's food assistance. In Washington Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner reiterated that Washington is holding to its demand that Pyongyang honor a 2005 agreement at the six-party talks to give up its nuclear weapons. Asked about the Beijing talks, Toner replied, "I think that we are cognizant of the challenges that we are facing in these talks." "But we are also steadfast in what we're asking for North Korea to do, which is live up its prior commitments, and we're going to continue to talk with them," the spokesman said. Last year, diplomatic efforts to get North Korea back to the negotiating table gained some momentum, but the unexpected demise of Kim put a brake on those efforts. North Korea has not shown any signs of giving up its nuclear programs. The North recently praised its late leader for elevating the country to a nuclear state. North Korea conducted two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing international condemnation and tightened U.N. sanctions. South Korea and the U.S. have insisted the North accept a monitored shutdown of its uranium enrichment program to show sincerity toward denuclearization before reviving the disarmament-for-aid talks. In 2010, North Korea revealed it was running a uranium enrichment facility. Highly enriched uranium can be used to make weapons, providing Pyongyang with a second way to build nuclear bombs in addition to its existing plutonium program. (END)