THE US is open to talks with North Korea – but only if it complies with UN Security Council resolutions, senior officials have said.

After months of threatening to wage a nuclear war, North Korea did a U-turn and issued a surprise proposal to talk to the US. But the invitation from North Korea's National Defence Commission, the powerful governing body led by leader Kim Jong Un, comes with caveats.

There must be no preconditions and no demands that Pyongyang give up its nuclear assets unless Washington is willing to do the same – ground rules that make it hard for the Americans to accept.

Washington said it is open to talks – but only if North Korea shows it will abide by Security Council resolutions and live up to its international obligations.

Pyongyang ramped up the anti-US rhetoric after its launch of a rocket in December and a nuclear test in February drew tightened UN and US sanctions. The US and South Korea countered the threats by stepping up military exercises, which prompted the North to warn of a "nuclear war".