'Belligerent' N Korea changes tune and asks Seoul for talks

NORTH KOREA has stunned South Korea and its allies by proposing talks on a range of "commercial and humanitarian" issues.

Pyongyang's eagerness to discuss issues such as the reopening of a joint industrial complex and the resumption of cross-border family reunions, comes hard on the heels of a dramatic escalation of tensions on the peninsular in the wake of North Korea's third nuclear test in February. In April, President Obama warned the pariah regime to end its "belligerent approach" after North Korea said a nuclear war against Seoul and its US ally was "unavoidable".

The North's rhetoric was very different today when the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) issued a statement proposing the talks. The venue and date for the discussions "can be set to the convenience of the South side", the statement said.

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The New York Times says the two Koreas "cut off official dialogue" in 2008 soon after North Korean soldiers shot and killed a South Korean tourist. The paper describes today's offer of talks as a "dramatic turn of events" and reports that Seoul has responded quickly and positively to the olive branch.

South Korea's Unification Ministry said it viewed the offer "positively" and would announce a date, venue and agenda for the talks at a later date.

One of the issues Pyongyang wants to discuss is the re-opening of the Kaesong joint industrial complex. The eight-year-old venture, which employs more than 50,000 North Koreans and is a major source of income for Kim Jong-un's impoverished regime, was shut down when tensions peaked in April. North Korea also wants to resume cross-border tours and Red Cross programs which arrange temporary reunions for Korean families separated by the Korean War.

Yang Moo Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, welcomed the North's overtures but urged caution. He told Sky News the "precise nature and agenda of the dialogue might create insurmountable sticking points".

"I think this is an attempt by the North to seize the initiative, but it's premature to say whether the offer is likely to lead to a sincere dialogue," he said.