North Korea sees the building of trustful relations with the United States as an immediate solution to its nuclear concerns, North Korean state run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said.

"Establishing trust between the North Korea and the USA is the most pressing task and the key to solving the problem," the newspaper said.

North Korea is banned from conducting nuclear or ballistic tests under UN Resolution 1718, adopted after North Korea's first nuclear test on October 9, 2006.

However, Pyongyang carried out a second nuclear test on May 25 2009, followed by a series of short-range missile launches, and has threatened to build up its nuclear arsenal to counter what it calls hostile U.S. policies.

The six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan came to a halt last April when North Korea walked out of negotiations in protest against the United Nations' condemnation of its missile tests.

North Korea recently hinted that it was willing to return to talks, but insisted it first negotiate directly with the United States to repair "hostile relations."