Tension high as North Korea marks founder's birthday

(Vatican Radio) North Korea today marked a national holiday, without the military activity that some observers had expected. Meanwhile, the American Secretary of State wound up an Asia tour with a pledge of talks with North Korea -- with certain conditions. The U.S. Secretary of State said Washington would offer North Korea talks, if it shows what he called "good faith" and takes steps towards giving up its nuclear weapons. Listen to this report from Alastair Wanklyn:

John Kerry was speaking here in Tokyo, the final stage of an Asia tour. He said he heard in Beijing a "strong commitment" by China to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, Pyongyang on Monday marked the birthday of the late founder of the North Korean state. There were no military manoeuvres, as some analysts had expected, but state television showed leader Kim Jong-un paying tribute at the mausoleum of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung. And one senior official declared that North Korea would never give up its weapons; rather, Kim Yong-nam said, it would now expand its nuclear arsenal.

South Korea's defence minister told the parliament in Seoul the North may yet conduct a missile test, perhaps when the attention has died down.