The United States on Monday called on Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks, as an important follow-up action of bilateral direct talks.

"I don't have a specific reaction to that statement. But we hope that North Korea will agree to resuming the six-party talks," said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, referring to Pyongyang's proposal on improving relationship with Washington.

The Asian country, through its KCNA news agency, said Friday that "the fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of Asia is to put an end to the hostile relationship between the DPRK and the USA."

"It is the consistent stand of the DPRK to establish a lasting peace system on the Korean Peninsula and make it nuclear-free through dialogue and negotiations," said a KCNA New Year editorial.

The call came as Washington was trying to get the state to return to the stalled six-party talks.

"We are hopeful that we'll get some actions toward that end and not just words. We are hopeful we can all sit down and reach our desired goal, which is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a verifiable manner," said Kelly.

The DPRK shut down the Yongbyon nuclear facilities in 2007 under a six-nation nuclear disarmament deal. However, Pyongyang quit the multilateral talks in April 2009 in anger over international criticism of its long-range rocket test.

It conducted an underground nuclear test in May and declared it was in the final phase of an experimental, highly enriched uranium program -- another way to make an atomic bomb.

However, tensions began to be eased recently, and the DPRK has expressed willingness to return to the six-party talks involving itself, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia, if it had satisfactory talks with Washington.

In early December, the two countries agreed on the need to resume the negotiations during President Barack Obama's envoy's trip to Pyongyang.