North Korea has said that it is ready to hold talks with the United States "if the conditions are right", according to South Korean media reports.
A top North Korean diplomat on Saturday said that a dialogue with US President Donald Trump's administration was possible, after the official met former US government officials in Norway.
Trump, earlier this month, had also said that he would be "honoured" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honoured to do it," Trump had told Bloomberg News, comments that drew criticism in Washington. "Under the right circumstances I would meet with him," Trump had said. The Republican, during his presidential campaign last year, had said that he would be willing to meet Kim Jong-un.
Trump's administration since then has said that Pyongyang must agree to abandon its nuclear and missile programme before relations between the countries can improve. The US has also pressured North Korea economically and diplomatically and has stated that "military options" remain on the table if the Korean nation continues with its nuclear ambitions.
The comments from Pyongyang have come after months of heightened tensions between US and North Korea over the North's nuclear programme ambitions.
Choe Son-hui, an official in the North Korean foreign ministry responsible for North American affairs, told reporters in Beijing that bilateral talks between Pyongyang and Washington would be considered, according to BBC reports.
Choe, who has been involved in nuclear negotiations in the past, made the comments of North's probable meeting with US officials during a stop-over on her return to Pyongyang following a meeting in Oslo.
