CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Another international hot spot, North Korea, and its plans to restart a nuclear reactor. Right now, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly is in Seoul conferring with South Korean officials about the matter. Our Rebecca MacKinnon is closely following his visit. She joins us by phone from Seoul now -- good morning, Rebecca.</s>REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol. Well, it's evening here in Seoul now, Monday evening, and Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly is just wrapping up a full day of meetings with top leaders here in South Korea. Most importantly, he met the new president elect, Roh Moo-hyun, who's going to be taking office in February and who has been critical of U.S. policy toward North Korea, considering it too hard-line. And he was expected during these meetings to be urging Kelly to engage North Korea. Now, coming out of his meeting with Roh, Kelly did say the United States is still willing to talk to North Korea.</s>JAMES KELLY, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: We are, of course, willing to talk to North Korea about their response to the international community, particularly with respect to elimination of nuclear weapons.</s>MACKINNON: Kelly also said that once the nuclear problem is resolved, if and when it does get resolved, the U.S. would be willing to examine ways to help provide energy to the crisis, energy crisis ridden North Korea -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Rebecca MacKinnon reporting live from Seoul, South Korea this morning. We'll also wake up our D.C. producer, Elise Labatt (ph), in the next hour and get her take on the diplomatic efforts to cool down this nuclear controversy.
Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly in Seoul