North Korea will cooperate with the United States if the superpower takes the “right path”, the communist country’s mouthpiece newspaper said Tuesday, despite growing tensions between the two countries over Pyongyang’s nuclear test conducted last month.

The Choson Sinbo, the Korean-language newspaper published in Japan, said it is not North Korea’s goal to cause the situation with the U.S. to erupt, referring to the North’s recent warnings of a showdown with the U.S.

“Therefore, if the U.S. chooses a right path, North Korea will cooperate,” the newspaper said.

Led by the U.S., the United Nations adopted tougher sanctions over the North’s internationally-banned long-range rocket launch in December. The international community is planning further punitive measures after the country detonated its third underground nuclear device on Feb. 12 in defiance of repeated warnings from the outside world.

In response, the North has repeatedly threatened to stage an all-out war with the U.S. and take further steps in line with the recent nuclear test.

The Choson Sinbo report, however, suggests that North Korea can reverse its current course in the event that the U.S. first shows willingness to engage in talks with the communist country. (Yonhap News)