Kim Jong-un says he's open to 'highest-level' talks with South in New Year speech

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said today that he is open to the “highest-level” talks with South Korea, in a surprise overture delivered during the communist supremo’s traditional New Year message.

South Korean media said Kim was referring to a summit with South Korean President Park Geun-hye. The last inter-Korean summit was held in Pyongyang in 2007 between South Korea’s late president Roh Moo-hyun and the North’s late leader Kim Jong-il.

“Depending on the mood and circumstances to be created, we have no reason not to hold the highest-level talks,” Kim said, calling for a turnaround in strained relations between the two Koreas, which are technically at war.

The message came days after Ryoo Kihl-jae, the South’s unification minister in charge of inter-Korean affairs, offered to hold high-level talks with North Korea in January.

The last round of formal top-level negotiations between the neighbours was held in February and resulted in the North hosting a rare union of relatives separated by the conflict.

The two Koreas agreed to restart dialogue when a top-ranking North Korean delegation made a surprise visit to the Asian Games held in the South in October.