PYONGYANG CONDEMNS SANCTIONS

Kim Yo Jong, top right, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un,
sits behind US Vice President Mike Pence at the opening ceremony of
the 2018 Winter Olympics

SEOUL/WASHINGTON: The White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end to its nuclear program after senior officials from Pyongyang visiting South Korea said on Sunday that-

Their government was open to talks with the United States.

The North Korean delegation, in Pyeongchang for the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, met at an undisclosed location with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and-

Expressed a willingness to meet with the United States, Moon's office said in a statement.

The Pyongyang delegation said developments in relations between  the two Koreas and and between North Korea and the United States should go hand-in-hand, according to the statement.

The Olympics gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after more than a year of  sharply rising tensions over the-

North's Missile Program and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of UN sanctions.

[Reuters]