SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea couldn't get North Korea to agree Thursday to return to nuclear arms negotiations but did persuade the reclusive communist country to schedule high-level talks for next month where the contentious issue is certain to come up again.
In the meantime, the North is expected to consider an apparent overture from Washington, which sent diplomats to a secret meeting last week at the Pyongyang regime's U.N. office.
Japan's Asahi newspaper said senior State Department officials offered assurances the Bush administration recognizes North Korea as a sovereign nation under Kim Jong Il's leadership and does not intend to attack it.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy confirmed the meeting took place, but offered few details.