US says open to diplomacy with new N Korea rulers

S Korea: The United States is open to diplomacy with North Korea's new leaders but they must improve frosty ties with South Korea and show seriousness about nuclear disarmament, a senior US diplomat said Wednesday.

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the North must take "necessary steps" before any revival of long-stalled six-party nuclear disarmament talks.

"We are open to diplomacy with North Korea but there are a very clear set of steps necessary," he said.

The US and its allies Japan and South Korea "are still waiting to see whether the new government in North Korea is prepared to take the necessary steps", Campbell told reporters.

He did not elaborate. The US and its allies have repeatedly called on the North to shut down its uranium enrichment plant -- which experts say could be reconfigured to make weapons -- before the nuclear negotiations can resume.

Campbell, speaking after talks with South Korea's nuclear envoy Lim Sung-Nam, also stressed that Pyongyang must make peace with Seoul if it wants a better relationship with Washington. He said he and Lim "underscored again very clearly that the road to these improved relations runs through Seoul for North Korea".

The North has stressed that its policy remains unchanged after the death of longtime leader Kim Jong-Il on December 17, and the takeover by his youngest son Jong-Un.

It has vowed never to deal with "traitors" in the South's conservative government, accusing them of failing to respect a mourning period for the late leader.

China, the North's economic prop and sole major ally, moved quickly to give its backing to the young and untested Jong-Un after his father's sudden death.

It also ordered swift deliveries of rice and fuel to the impoverished state in a gesture of support for the son, according to a Japanese media report.

Campbell urged China to share its thoughts on the new leadership: "We want them to share with us more their perspectives and their plans." The nuclear talks grouping the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States were last held in December 2008. AFP