South Korea has formally offered to hold talks with North Korea about suspended operations at their joint Kaesong industrial zone, Al Jazeera reported April 25.

North Korea dismissed South Korea's offer of talks on the future of the Kaesong joint industrial zone as an empty political gesture, saying Seoul's joint military drills with the United States and its calls for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions prevent meaningful dialogue, AFP reported April 14.

Russia would welcome a new round of talks in Switzerland over North Korea's nuclear program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said April 12, AP reported.