The meeting is the first direct contact of the two sides amid strained relationship following disputes over the US's military exercises with South Korea.

 

Stephen Bosworth is the former US special envoy¹ for North Korea policy:

 

"We from the US side emphasise² the importance of dealing³ with these issues of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the importance as well of making progress on the other elements of the joint⁴ statement from the six party talks of September 2005."

 

North Korean negotiators reiterated⁵ being willing to suspend nuclear tests if the United States agreed to call off annual military drills held jointly⁶ with South Korea.

 

Ri Yong Ho, the chief negotiator for six-party denuclearisation talks of North Korea.

 

"To put an end to this large scale joint military exercise, I think, this is the first step to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula."

 

Pyongyang have made similar calls repeatedly. 

 

The last such request, made on January 10th, was dismissed as a 'veiled threat' by US officials.

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