By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
A first inter-Korean summit since 2007 could be on the horizon as the North's leader Kim Jong-un strongly suggested Thursday that he would be open to meeting his counterpart from the South.
"Depending on the mood and circumstances to be created, we have no reason not to hold the highest-level talks," Kim said in his nationally televised New Year's Day address.
Reflecting a sharper focus on inter-Korean ties than in his message last year, the much-maligned North Korean leader vowed to "make every effort" to bring about a "big shift" in relations.
A first encounter between Kim and South Korea's President Park Geun-hye could be looming anyway -- they have both been invited to Russia this May.
On New Year's Eve, Park set out her own plans including "ending a seven-decades-long division" between the Koreas, whose rift began as Japan's colonization of the Korean Peninsula finished with the close of World War II.
Park's promise to "open the path toward unification" may meet with some familiar stumbling blocks though, even if Kim agreed that their separation is "tragic."
Chief among them are Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions with the North's leader reiterating Thursday the need to boost his country's military strength.
He also warned Seoul to refrain from conducting military drills with the United States, insisting that "North-South relations can't move forward" if such exercises continue -- a major potential sticking point considering the 28,500 U.S. military personnel based in South Korea and the two allies' previous refusal to cancel joint drills in the face of North Korean threats.
But as Park's presidency enters a third year of a maximum five, her administration is expected to open up further to Pyongyang, whose leader does not share the same democratic restrictions.
Seoul's unification minister is still awaiting a response after making an offer of talks with his North Korean equivalent earlier this week.
The Koreas technically remain at war after an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, brought the Korean War to a close.
The year 2015 also marks 70 years since Korea's liberation from Japan, a rare source of common celebration for both sides.
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