The commander of U.S. military forces in South Korea says Washington and Seoul can defeat any North Korean attack.
In a radio interview Wednesday, General Leon LaPorte says he believes Pyongyang has one or two nuclear weapons, but insists the combined U.S. and South Korean forces would win no matter how many nuclear weapons North Korea possesses.
North Korea declared earlier this year that it possessed nuclear weapons and would not return to disarmament talks.
But Tuesday Russia's Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed North Korean official as saying that the stalled negotiations could possibly resume in the second half of next month.
South Korea's Unification Minister, Chung Dong-young, is to meet with senior U.S. officials about his recent meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il later this week.