The close of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang could herald the beginning of a breakthrough on the Korean Peninsula issue, as Pyongyang said it had “enough willingness” to hold talks with the United States.

Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in held a closed-door meeting on Sunday for about an hour with a delegation from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, who arrived earlier in the day to attend the closing ceremonies of the 23rd Winter Olympics, ROK presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a statement.

During the meeting, Moon stressed that dialogue between the DPRK and the US should be held soon to fundamentally resolve the Korean Peninsula issues and improve ties between the ROK and the DPRK, according to a Xinhua report.

The DPRK delegation told Moon that Pyongyang had “enough willingness” to hold talks with the United States, saying Pyongyang shared Moon’s view that relations between the two Koreas and those between the DPRK and the United States should progress together, Xinhua reported on Sunday.

The high-level delegation was led by Kim Yong Chol, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

The White House said on Sunday that denuclearization must be the result of any dialogue with Pyongyang.

“We will see if Pyongyang’s message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

“In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are a dead end,” she said.

As US President Donald Trump has said, there is a brighter path available for North Korea if it chooses denuclearization, Huckabee Sanders said.

Also on Sunday, the DPRK warned the United States that it had its “own way of counteraction” if a maritime blockade and more sanctions are imposed, as threatened by Trump.

On Friday, the White House announced it is placing what it billed as the “l(fā)argest-ever” set of sanctions on Pyongyang, targeting one individual, 27 entities and 28 vessels, according to a statement from the Treasury Department.

China’s Foreign Ministry has said that the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is in essence a security issue, and its crux is the contradiction between the DPRK and the US.

Contact the writer at huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com.