North Korea told Washington at the weekend that it is willing to impose a temporary moratorium on its nuclear tests if the US suspends planned military exercises with South Korea.

The US State Department called the linking of the exercises with a possible nuclear test “an implicit threat” but said it was open to dialogue with North Korea.

The latest proposal comes at a time of animosity between North Korea and the US over a Hollywood “comedy” film made by Sony depicting the assassination of North Korean dynastic leader Kim Jong Un.

The US blamed Pyongyang for crippling hacking attacks on Sony Entertainment and subsequently imposed new sanctions on the country, inviting an angry response from Pyongyang, which denied responsibility for the cyber attacks.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the Kim government had proposed a “crucial step” to ease animosities and remove the danger of war.

It was prompted by desires to pave the way for a reunification with South Korea this year, the 70th anniversary of Washington’s unilateral decision to divide Korea — then a Japanese colony — along the 38th parallel, contrary to the wishes of the Korean people.

Pyongyang proposed that the US contribute to easing tension on the peninsula by suspending its military exercises while North Korea would hold over “the nuclear test over which the US is concerned,” said KCNA.

“Now is the time for the US to make a bold decision for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in north-east Asia,” it said.