WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that the six-party nuclear disarmament talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are "essential."

"The six-party talks are essential. They have not only been a useful forum for the participants who deal with the challenge of North Korea's nuclear program but the other issues that are part of the North Korean agenda," Clinton told her first press conference since she took charge of U.S. foreign policy last week.

The six-party talks, involving the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan and Russia, have been focusing on the settlement of nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula since August 2003.

The latest round of the talks ended in early December last year with no agreement on nuclear verification, as the DPRK and the United States differed over related issues.

U.S. President Barack Obama and his administration are undertaking a review of American approach on Pyongyang, the State Department officials said.
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