N Korea Interested to Resume Six-Party Nuclear Talks - Source

According to a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry, North Korea is interested in resumption of the Six-Party talks on the denuclearization.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — North Korea is interested in resumption of the Six-Party talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

"North Korea currently wants to hold talks with the United States, though it is unable to do so. Every test of this or that weapon is conducted by North Korea after it gets refusal to hold talks," the source said.

Earlier in March, North Korea launched five short-range missiles, which landed in the Sea of Japan, which has become Pyongyang's third missile power test, including launches of medium-range ballistic missiles.

It comes in response to large-scale military drills jointly conducted by South Korea and the United States. The exercises, expected to last through April 30, include rehearsals of surgical strikes on North Korea’s missile and nuclear facilities in case of war. Pyongyang labeled the drills as provocation.

In 2003, Pyongyang joined negotiations on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula with the United States, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea, having earlier withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that it ratified in 1985. However, the negotiations did not lead to any success. In 2009, Pyongyang withdrew from the talks