NEW YORK/BEIJING -- North Korea's top envoy to the United Nations said Friday that high-level talks with South Korea can be resumed only when Seoul drops its preconditions for the rank of Pyongyang's top delegate.

"We have intent on responding to any dialogue whether on a bilateral or multilateral level," Amb. Sin Son-ho told Yonhap News Agency after a rare news conference in New York about his country's position dealing mainly about relations with the United States.

He said the ball is on the South Korean side, saying inter-Korean dialogue is not possible unless the South retracts its preconditions.

The two Koreas recently came close to their first high-level talks in six years. But the talks were canceled because of a row over the rank of top delegates.

The South originally wanted the North to be represented by Kim Yang-gon, the head of the United Front Department and Workers' Party of Korea secretary. He is known to be one of the most influential North Korean officials on inter-Korean affairs. But the North actually appointed an official whose rank is believed to be a step or two lower than that of South Korea's ministerial official.

Sin said the South should drop its demand regarding the North's top delegate.

In the press conference at the U.N. headquarters, meanwhile, Sin reiterated Pyongyang's war threats coupled with a typical dialogue offer.

He said another military conflict is possible at any time as long as U.S. hostilities continue. Pyongyang often takes issue with what it calls U.S. hostile policy, apparently referring to economic sanctions and American troops stationed in South Korea.

He stressed the need to replace the Korean War Armistice with a lasting peace mechanism. The two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-53 war ended in a ceasefire, not a formal peace treaty.

Around 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the war. Next week they mark the 63rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

North Korea is ready for any nuclear talks, but it will not abandon nuclear weapons as long as the U.S. nuclear threats go on, the envoy said, adding Pyongyang is seeking mutual disarmament talks, not unilateral denuclearization of the communist nation.

Recently, Pyongyang has been on a peace offensive following months of military threats. North Korea might be emboldened by a successful long-range rocket launch in December and a third nuclear test two months later, observers say.

In Beijing, a top North Korean diplomat also said his country welcomes any type of nuclear talks.

In a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan stressed that realizing a nuclear-free peninsula was a dying wish of the communist nation's late leaders -- Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, according to a news report.

"The DPRK (North Korea) hopes the situation on the peninsula can be eased, (Kim) said, noting that the country maintains dialogues in settling the nuclear issue and welcomes any forms of talks, including the six-party talks," Kim was quoted as saying by China's official Xinhua news agency.

The six-way talks have been stalled for more than four years. The other members are Japan and Russia.

(Yonhap News)