SEOUL, South Korea – Washington’s top envoy on the North Korean nuclear issue said yesterday that the North’s refusal to return to international nuclear talks is a problem, but that the talks are still the best way to resolve the issue.

“We continue to have a situation where North Koreans don’t seem to want to come back to the talks and that’s obviously a problem for the future of the talks,” Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said upon arriving in South Korea after trips to China and Japan. “We still consider the six party process is the best process to deal with this,” he told reporters.

Resuming the six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear ambitions gained urgency in February, when the North claimed it already has nuclear weapons and said it would boycott the talks indefinitely. Since then, it has threatened to increase its nuclear arsenal and has asked to be treated as an equal partner in the nuclear talks.

“I don’t want to discuss [other] options right now because I think that further undermines the chances for success of six-party talks,” Mr. Hill said.

Also yesterday, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said there has not been any evidence that the North is getting ready to conduct a nuclear test. Mr. Chung strongly warned the North against making such a move.

Mr. Chung, who is responsible for South Korea’s relations with North Korea, said a nuclear test would “shake the fundamentals of the framework of the ongoing dialogue,” and that the North “should judge and act prudently.”

The six-nation nuclear talks, also involving China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, have been stalled since June last year.