For US ties, DPRK ready to give up nukes

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is willing to give up its nuclear weapons if US President Barack Obama agrees to conditions imposed by the country, including establishing formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper said.

The Japan-based Choson Sinbo paper - considered a mouthpiece of Pyongyang - said in a story posted on its website hours before Obama's inauguration on Tuesday that the DPRK was waiting to see what position the new president would take on the nuclear standoff.

"It is too early to predict whether the Obama administration will endorse the North's (DPRK's) nuclear possession or try to realize denuclearization through normalization of relations," the paper said. "But what is sure is that the North (DPRK) side is ready to deal with any choice by the enemy nation."