North Korea's Kim Jong Un Offers Talks With South In New Year's Message

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said in a New Year's speech on
Thursday that he is open to more talks or even a summit with his South
Korean counterpart, a statement that is welcomed by Seoul, which in
turn urged the North to take concrete steps toward normalization of
relations.report:

Kim's call for improving inter-Korea relations comes as Pyongyang is
facing heightened criticism over its human rights record and souring
ties with Washington over allegations it was involved in the massive
hacking attack on Sony Pictures linked to "The Interview," a dark
comedy that portrayed an assassination attempt on Kim.

North Korea has denied involvement, but said the hack was a "righteous
deed" and suggested it might have been carried out by sympathizers or
supporters abroad.

"We believe we can resume suspended senior-level talks and hold other
talks on specific issues if South Korea sincerely has a position that
it wants to improve North-South relations through a dialogue," Kim
said in the nationally televised address. "And there is no reason not
to hold the highest-level talks if the atmosphere and conditions are
met."

Meeting such conditions has proven to be virtually impossible in the
past. The two countries have not held a summit since 2007 and, despite
Kim's remarks, the likelihood of one happening again soon is very low
given the deep distrust that remains between the two countries.