US Secretary of State John Kerry says the US will engage in talks with North Korea if it takes "meaningful steps" towards peace.
He made his comments as the world watches to see if Pyongyang will mark its founder's birthday with a missile launch.
North Korea has a habit of linking high-profile military tests with key dates in its calendar and expectations are high that it could fire two medium-range missiles in honour of late former leader Kim Il-Sung.
But speaking in Japan on the last leg of his Asian tour Kerry appealed to the North to step back. And he says he's hoping China can help in any potential negotiations:
However, North Korea has dismissed the offer of talks, saying that it will not enter into dialogue with America unless South Korea abandons confrontational posture.
Pyongyang has dismissed the South's proposal to resolve tensions through dialogue, describing it as "a crafty trick" to disguise Seoul's hostility.
The South's unification ministry described that as a preliminary response, and said it would watch developments.
