Before Drills, South Korea Encourages North Korea-US Talks

The clock is ticking as South Korea's president tries to encourage talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

A spokesperson for President Moon Jae-in  said Monday  the U.S. needs to "lower its bar for dialogue" and said the North must "show its willingness to denuclearize" in order for talks between the two countries to work.

Moon  said in a statement  Sunday he met with the North Korean delegation before the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

And he said the North indicated it was willing to talk with the U.S.

Not long after,  the White House said  it will see if North Korea's apparent willingness to meet "represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization." But, as  The Washington Post  points out, time could be running out for Moon to coordinate the talks.

South Korea and the U.S. are expected to conduct annual joint military drills in the coming weeks.

North Korea has repeatedly expressed anger over the drills.

And, according to the Post, the North has been known to put inter-Korean relations on hold during the joint exercises.