Seoul - The United States is willing to improve relations with Pyongyang if the country takes irreversible steps to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme, a senior US official said Wednesday.

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, who was visiting South Korea on part of an Asia tour, said bilateral talks should aim at reviving six-nation talks on the issue, which North Korea abandoned earlier this year.

It was necessary to break the vicious cycle of Pyongyang reaching a nuclear deal, reneging on it and returning to provocative behaviour, the Yonhap news agency quoted Steinberg as saying.

Both Washington and Seoul favoured a grand bargain approach to North Korea's denuclearization, he said.

"What we all agree is that we've lived through the history before of partial measures and reversible measures," Steinberg said. "What we need is a comprehensive and definitive resolution of the nuclear question."

Pyongyang was showing indications that "they understand the value of re-engagement, and we would like to see them take advantage of that," he said after meeting with South Korean government officials.

"There's a tremendous opportunity now for them to take a constructive measure."

Washington said on September 12 that it was willing to engage in direct talks with Pyongyang, an about-turn from its earlier position which ruled out bilateral negotiations unless the Stalinist state abandoned its nuclear weapons programme.

Pyongyang iced the six-party talks, which also include South Korea, Russia, China and Japan, after being censored by the UN Security Council following a long-range missile test. (dpa)