North Korea on Sunday proposed high-level talks with the U.S. over military tensions, a peace treaty and the U.S. proposal for a nuclear-free world.

The proposal from the powerful National Defense Commission came after it scuttled an inter-Korean meeting last Tuesday amid a dispute over the rank of delegation chiefs, weeks before President Park Geun-hye’s summit with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on June 27.

Experts said Washington, which cherishes its robust alliance with Seoul, might not readily accept the overture, pointing out Pyongyang insisted the inclusion of peninsular denuclearization should not be a precondition for the talks.

“North Korea proposes high-level talks should the U.S. be truly interested in reducing tension on the Korean Peninsula and securing peace and stability in the region and the U.S. mainland,” said an unnamed spokesperson of the top governing body in a “significant statement.”

Carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, the statement said peninsular denuclearization was the wish of late former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, but stressed the North will stick to its nuclear programs until nuclear threats from outside “completely end.”

The statement also said the date and venue for the meeting can be set at Washington’s own convenience, urging it to come forward for the talks with “brave determination and goodwill” and not to miss the chance should it really want peace.

The last high-level talks between Washington and Pyongyang took place in February 2012 when Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan and Glyn Davies, special representative for North Korea Policy, met to reach the so-called Leap Day deal.

The deal, under which Pyongyang agreed to put a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests in return for 240,000 tons of nutritional assistance, was breached after the North fired a long-range rocket less than two months later ― an incident that deepened mutual distrust.

Experts said the North appeared to be using its typical tactic once again of seeking direct talks with the U.S. while sidelining the South, which they said would no longer work given the current strength of the alliance.

“As Seoul is seriously preparing for the upcoming summit with Xi Jinping, Pyongyang might fear they could be further isolated. With the criticism that it was the South that broke the inter-Korean talks last week, it appears to be sidelining Seoul,” said Hong Hyun-ik, research fellow at the think tank Sejong Institute.

“By proposing talks, the North could also support China which has sought to resume the multilateral talks on its denuclearization and show to its ally that it is fulfilling the promise to pursue dialogue.”

Analysts remained skeptical over the talks, arguing the North had excluded peninsular denuclearization from the agenda. Washington has long urged the North to show sincerity in its denuclearization efforts should it want better ties with it.

“Ultimately, we will judge the DPRK (the North) not by its words but by its actions, the concrete actions it takes to address the core concerns of the international community, ranging from human rights to nuclear proliferation,” Glyn Davies said during his remarks at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Friday.

“Meaningful steps toward denuclearization can lead to a path of peace, prosperity and improved ties with the world, including with the U.S.”

Observers also noted Pyongyang, which proclaimed itself as a nuclear-armed state in its constitution last year, contradicted itself by putting the issue of a nuclear-free world on the agenda. Earlier this year, the North also adopted a policy of concurrently pursuing economic development and nuclear armament.

“It is apparently a proposal intended just to make a record of Pyongyang itself trying first to hold dialogue with the U.S. given that it may know that such a proposal could hardly be accepted by the U.S.,” said Kim Young-soo, North Korea expert at Sogang University.

“Why would Washington talk with Pyongyang when denuclearization is off the table? It made the proposal when it was well aware that the U.S. would not say yes to that.”

Kim added should the U.S. spurn the overture, the North would say to the domestic audience that Washington cold-heartedly ignored its conciliatory gesture, and try to use it to strengthen national unity.

Ahn Chan-il, the director of the World North Korea Research Center, expressed concerns that after Washington turned down the proposal, the unpredictable regime could set off another round of saber-rattling moves.

“Should the proposal be spurned, the North could resort to its provocative tactics until July 27 (the anniversary of the armistice agreement),” he said. “When China stands with the U.S. against the North’s nuclear armament, I am not sure whether Washington would be willing to accept the proposal.”

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)