N Korea open to unconditional talks

North Korea has announced that it is ready for an “unconditional and early opening of talks” with the South amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“We courteously propose having wide-ranging dialogue and negotiations with the political parties and organizations of South Korea including its authorities,” the North said in a statement released on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Tensions have been high on the Korean Peninsula since a November 23 exchange of artillery fire which left four South Koreans, including two civilians, dead. The incident was of particular importance as it was the first shelling of a civilian area in the South since the end of 1950-53 Korean War.

The crisis further deepened over rounds of joint military drills South Korea held with the United States despite threats of retaliation from Pyongyang.

The Wednesday statement also added that North Korean officials were “ready to meet anyone anytime anywhere.”

Earlier, South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak said that Seoul was still open to possible peace talks with its northern neighbor.

“The door for dialogue is still open,” he said during a New Year address on Monday. “If the North exhibits sincerity, we have both the will and the plan to drastically enhance economic cooperation together with the international community.”

Lee, however, warned Pyongyang that any provocation against “an inch of our territory” would be met with a strong response.

“Any provocation that would pose a threat to our lives and property will not be tolerated. Such provocations will be met with stern, strong responses,” he said

Meanwhile, Stephen Bosworth, the US envoy for North Korea, has arrived in the region to discuss solutions to defuse tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The US State Department said that Bosworth visited Seoul and China for “further consultations on the North.”