North Korea says the United States must apologize for calling it an "outpost of tyranny" before Pyongyang will return to talks about its nuclear program.

A statement from North Korea's Foreign Ministry Wednesday also insisted the United States take a sincere attitude toward negotiations and renounce policies aimed at regime change in Pyongyang before the six-party talks can resume.

Negotiators from several countries are meeting in Seoul Wednesday to discuss the stalled talks. China's chief negotiator on the North Korean nuclear issue, Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei is scheduled to meet with his South Korean counterpart Song Min-soon, as well as with Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Ambassador to Seoul, Christopher Hill.

North Korea boycotted a fourth round of talks in October, citing a hostile U.S. policy. But after claiming last month that it has nuclear weapons, Pyongyang said it would rejoin the talks if certain conditions were met.