"If the conditions for the fourth round of six-party talks are met, the DPRK will return to the negotiating table at any time," Kim was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency, without specifying what the conditions were.

Kim, who reportedly made the remarks in Pyongyang to visiting Chinese envoy Wang Jiarui, said North Korea did not oppose the talks and had not withdrawn from them.

"The DPRK's (North Korea's) stance on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and peaceful settlement of the issue through dialogue remain unchanged," Kim said.

The remarks are Kim's first in public since North Korea announced 10 days ago that it had developed nuclear weapons and would indefinitely withdraw from six-way talks, blaming Washington's "hostile policy".

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