ROK says it is open to more Six-Party Talks

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) is open to calls for resuming international talks aimed at ending the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear arms program if Pyongyang pledges to honor a 2005 deal, a senior official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

The unidentified ROK Foreign Ministry official, speaking to domestic media, did not specifically link a resumption of the Six-Party Talks to the DPRK conceding it had sunk a ROK navy ship, signaling a possible softening of a hardline demand by Seoul.

The ROK has previously said the DPRK must admit responsibility for sinking its ship in March and take "sincere measures" concerning the incident before it returned to the talks that have been stalled for two years.