Seoul, South Korea ? North Korea said today it has no intention of making nuclear weapons but stopped short of promising to halt its nuclear weapons programs, officials said.

“North Korea stressed that it has no intention of making nuclear weapons,” South Korean delegate Rhee Bong-jo said after the one-hour opening session of high-level inter-Korean talks.

Rhee said the North’s nuclear standoff with the United States was a topic at the Cabinet-level talks, which will continue until Friday.

“We made it clear that inter-Korean relations could be hurt unless the nuclear issue is not resolved promptly,” he said.

South Korea’s chief delegate, Jeong Se-hyun, demanded in a keynote speech that the North freeze its nuclear facilities and reverse its decision to quit the global nuclear nonproliferation treaty, Rhee said.

The chief North Korean negotiator, Kim Ryong Song, repeated Pyongyang’s position that his communist country has no intention of making nuclear weapons and that the nuclear dispute can be resolved through dialogue with the United States, he said.

There were no more formal meetings scheduled for the rest of the day, though informal contacts were expected. The North Koreans were to visit an amusement park in Seoul later.

On Tuesday, North delegate Kim had hinted he was unwilling to discuss nuclear weapons, a position that raised doubts about whether South Korea would make any headway during the four-day talks.

“Let’s not care about the situation surrounding us and concentrate on resolving internal issues,” Kim said after arriving with his delegation.

He appeared to be referring to the talks’ original agenda, which includes inter-Korean reconciliation plans such as the construction of cross-border railways and roads.