US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has also confirmed she is attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) talks, along with representatives from South Korea, China, Russia and Japan.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who met with his counterpart Paek Nam Sun in Pyongyang last week, said Malaysia was "very happy" that North Korea would be attending the meeting.

"This will allow, we hope, for them during the ARF to have bilateral meetings," he told a news conference.

Syed Hamid said North Korea was "very interested to go back to the six-party talks but they felt that the action on the financial sanctions has become an obstacle and an impediment."

"The North Koreans feel that for the time being they will not like to come back until they can see how best they would bring the six-party talks in a way that can bring benefit to them," he said.

In September, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons program in return for security, diplomatic and energy aid guarantees.

But it boycotted the talks in November, protesting US financial sanctions for alleged money-laundering and counterfeiting.

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