By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday that he welcomes North Korea's willingness to improve inter-Korean relations.

The remarks came after China's premier conveyed North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's message that he intends to have dialogue and improve relations with South Korea as well as other countries.

``I welcome that North Korea is willing to talk about relations with South Korea. I am always open to this,'' Lee said after a meeting with Chinese leader Wen Jiabao in Beijing.

He said he wants to have a chance to explain his ``grand bargain'' plan to the North Korean leader to clarify its goals.

The initiative which Lee first proposed in a speech in New York last month is a single-step process giving a package of incentives in return for the secretive state's giving up its nuclear weapons program.

China and Japan, partners in a tripartite summit Saturday, said they support the plan.

North Korea watchers say hopes for a warmer atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula are growing as Lee positively responded to Kim's message that he wants to improve ties with Japan and Korea as well as the United States.

The secretive state has refused to have any dialogue since Lee's inauguration in February last year in retaliation for his tougher stance toward its regime.

However, Pyongyang has recently been showing conciliatory gestures by lifting a travel ban imposed on South Koreans, and agreeing to hold family reunions suspended for about two years.

Earlier, the reclusive country freed two U.S. journalists detained for illegal entry after former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit in August and released a South Korean worker about a week later.

During a meeting with Wen, Kim also indicated that the North is willing to solve the nuclear issue through bilateral talks with the United States and multilateral talks, referring to the six-party denuclearization forum.

There is, however, some skepticism that Pyongyang will not open its door for talks quickly because Lee is sticking to denuclearization linkage.

Lee has said the ultimate goal of an inter-Korean meeting is to get North Korea to give up its nuclear program.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr