After months of insisting that it is a nuclear weapons state and would not give up its new status, Pyongyang seems to walk away from the brink in return for financial aid, energy benefits, and security guarantees. Going into another round of talks, North Korea said that it wants the U.S. to drop its hostile attitude towards it and agree to "mutual peaceful co-existence."

The US also sounded optimistic saying that Pyongyang may be enticed to eschew its nuclear program.