The Nobel peace prize laureate also said the six-party talks on ending Pyongyang's atomic weapons programme will eventually succeed despite an impasse over the release of the communist state's funds frozen under sanctions.

"Both sides have won what they wanted. If they fail here, there would only be losses for both sides," Kim said in reference to a deal struck in February at the talks including the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan.

Through the agreement, Pyongyang obtained a US commitment for direct dialogue, security guarantee, lifting of economic sanctions and diplomatic ties.

In return, the deal obliged the North to give up its nuclear weapons.

"The six-party talks, despite the impasse over technical issues, will come to a success in the end. There is no alternative but a solution through dialogue and a give-and-take deal," Kim said.

Kim, who was president between 1998 and 2003, met with the North Korean leader in June 2000 in Pyongyang for a landmark summit which led to reconciliation and economic exchanges between the two Cold War rivals.