US ready for North Korea talks, says Tillerson

The US is "ready to talk any time" with North Korea without preconditions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said, BBC News reports.

His statement appeared to shift the US position away from previous demands that North Korea must disarm before any talks can be held.

But hours later the White House said President Donald Trump's views on North Korea "had not changed".

North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons technology has led to heavy US-led sanctions against the regime.

Separately, the UN's political chief Jeffrey Feltman, who recently visited Pyongyang, told reporters that North Korean officials felt it was "important to prevent war".