Moon says hopes for DPRK talks by year's end

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he hopes to draw the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the negotiating table over its nuclear program by the end of the year and pushed off any talk about a potential preemptive strike, according to a CBS interview that aired on Tuesday.

When asked about the possibility of such a strike, Moon told CBS News in a televised interview: "When it comes to pre-emptive strike ... this is something we may be able to discuss at a later date when the threat has become even more urgent."

Moon in the interview also said that DPRK should be responsible for the death of the US university student Otto Warmbier, who died at a hospital just days after he was returned to the US in a coma, after being detained in DPRK for 17 months.

"We cannot know for sure that DPRK killed Mr. Warmbier…" Moon said. " But I believe it is quite clear that they have a heavy responsibility in the process that led to Mr. Warmbier's death."

He also urged DPRK to return swiftly the three other US citizens who are ethnic Koreans and six South Koreans who remain in custody there.

(REUTERS)