North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un offered to hold the highest level talks with South Korea Thursday in his broadcasted New Year address.
"Depending on the mood and circumstances to be created, we have no reason not to hold the highest-level talks," Kim said, reported AFP.
The two countries are technically still at war, but if the North's conditions are met, Kim said he would be willing to hold a summit meeting with South Korean President Park Guen-hye.
Kim also took aim at Washington for leading an international campaign over North Korea's human rights record and urged the U.S. to change its policy.
"The U.S. and its followers are holding on to a nasty 'human rights' racket as their schemes to destroy our self-defensive nuclear deterrent and stifle our republic by force become unrealizable," Kim said.
Nuclear weapons are the guardians of his country, Kim added, vowing to firmly retaliate against provocations threatening its autonomy or dignity, reported AFP.
South Korea's Uniification Minister Ryoo Kihi-jae reached out on Monday calling for "peaceful unification," and suggested talks should resume regarding reunions for families separated by the Korean War, among other issues.
Previous attempts at unification by the South were seen by the North as attempts to take it over.
High-level talks were last held in February 2014, and led to a reunion for some Korean families separated for more than 60 years following the 1950-53 Korean War, according to BBC.
Additional talks were planned for October but were cancelled when Pyongyang accused the South of not working hard enough to stop activists from sending balloons filled with anti-North Korea propaganda across the border.
