The United States, even though it remains sceptical about North Korean intentions, is also becoming more positive, according to officials here.

South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-Young, on his return from a visit to the United States, said Monday he had worked to persuade Washington officials that Pyongyang is ready to give up its nuclear weapons drive through serious negotiations.

"I clearly told US officials that North Korea is willing to improve relations with the United States and also to dismantle its nuclear programme," Chung told a meeting of ministry official, according to Yonhap news agency.

An official who accompanied Chung on his visit said the mood in Washington had turned brighter.

"Hopeful prospects for the resumption of talks this month ... are growing in the United States," said Kim Sook, head of the foreign ministry's North American affairs bureau.

Chung last month held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il at which he offered the Stalinist regime an "important" proposal containing inducements to persuade the North Koreans to dump their nuclear weapons.

According to Chung, Kim promised to study the offer and also said that Pyongyang is ready to return to talks as early as July if Washington shows "respect".

The contents of South Korea's "important" proposal have not been made public but will presumably go further towards satisfying North Korea than the official offer at the last round of six-party talks in June last year, according to analysts.

At those talks the United States proposed that North Korea dismantle all of its nuclear programmes before receiving security assurances and economic benefits from Washington.

However, in what was a major concession at the time, Washington said it would not oppose the other dialogue nations - South Korea, China, Japan and Russia - supplying North Korea with energy before it dismantled its nuclear programmes.

Previously Washington had insisted on the complete scrapping of nuclear programmes before any concessions.

North Korea dismissed the offer through its official media but never made a formal response during negotiations.

Pyongyang has consistently refused to scrap its nuclear weapons prgrammes without upfront rewards. It has demanded security guarantees, an end to economic sanctions, its removal from the State Department list of terrorism-sponsoring nations and significant energy assistance.

On Sunday media reports here said the United States had agreed to a joint offer from South Korea and the United States which would include Seoul's so-called "important" proposal.

The joint offer was discussed when Chung met Vice President Dick Cheney and other US leaders in Washington last week, the reports said.

However, unification ministry spokesman Kim Hong-Je said Monday the reports went too far. He said Washington "shared the understanding" of Seoul's position but there was no joint offer at the current stage.

"The US position has not really changed," said a senior South Korean foreign official who asked not to be named.

"I think it is still true that the United States wants an answer to its last offer before it makes another."

But first North Korea must agree to come back to talks.

"All five other participants are ready at any time. We are waiting for North Korea," the official added.

Citing Washington's "hostile" policy, North Korea has boycotted the six-party talks for more than a year and in February declared itself a nuclear weapons state.

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