Pyongyang's call hard for Obama govt to accept: Experts

Pyongyang's call for direct talks with Washington is consistent with its long-time position, Chinese analysts said yesterday. But like observers in the US, they believe it would be hard for President Barack Obama's administration to accept that call.

"The US may fall into DPRK's trap (if direct talks started), as Pyongyang may want Washington to resolve all problems, not just the nuclear issue, on the Korean Peninsula," said Yang Xiyu, a DPRK expert at the China Institute of International Studies.

That would include finalizing a formal peace agreement ending the Korean War, which has been suspended in an armistice since 1953. Pyongyang also wants to see the withdrawal of US troops from the Korean Peninsula, which would only occur as part of a final peace treaty.