"It has been a long time since North Korea has invited the U.S. (for bilateral talks). It is time for the U.S. to set its position," Wi Sung Lac, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said in an interview with Yonhap's video news.

"What I was told most recently is that the U.S. will soon make a decision, but I don't know about the results yet," Wi said.

North announced Tuesday that it has finished reprocessing its 8,000 spent fuel rods, which would give the North enough weapons-grade plutonium for one or two nuclear bombs.

Wi said that although the North's latest announcement of its nuclear activity was not unexpected, it would not help the pursuit or the process of one-on-one talks with Washington.

The North Korean move, certain to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula, was widely regarded as an effort to seek direct talks with the United States.

Washington and Pyongyang have resumed contacts recently as part of efforts to reopen the six-party talks on the North's denuclearization.

North Korea agreed in September 2005 to dismantle its nuclear programs at the six-party talks involving North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

But North Korea withdrew from the six-party talks in April this year to protest the U.N. Security Council's condemnation of a rocket launch it conducted that was widely regarded as a long-range missile test.

Pyongyang added to tensions by detonating a nuclear device for the second time in May.