The United States Thursday said it would be "great" if North Korea's power transition sparked progress in a nuclear standoff, but said its policy was based on principles not personalities.

President Barack Obama's senior director for Asia policy Jeffrey Bader said the process of transferring power from leader Kim Jong-Il to his heir-apparent and son Kim Jong-Un was clearly in its early stages.

"Our objectives are not geared to personalities or towards particular leaders there. We have policies that we're looking for the North Korean regime, regardless of who's running it, to address."

Bader said he did not have a view on whether the transition of power would offer opportunities for diplomatic breakthroughs in future, but said that the administration was watching the process carefully.

"We are making proposals, we're looking to do things and if they do them before the transition occurs because the current leader is looking for a legacy, that would be great.

"But I don't think we can pin a policy on an assumption that that would be the case."

Bader addressed North Korean politics as he previewed Obama's trip to Asia beginning next week which will include talks in Seoul with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and the G20 economic summit in the city.

North Korea said this month that it was ready to resume six-party talks on its nuclear program, but gave no indication of whether it had dropped preconditions including a lifting of sanctions and separate talks with Washington.

Prospects for renewed negotiations have been clouded by South Korean and US accusations that the North torpedoed one of Seoul's warships in March, a charge it denies.

The United States says the North must mend relations with the South and show sincerity about nuclear disarmament before the six-party talks can resume.

Obama is set to arrive in South Korea, from Indonesia, on November 10, and the next day, Veterans Day in the United States, will address US troops who form part of the US garrison in South Korea.

In the year which marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, Obama will also note South Korea's "extraordinary progress," deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes said.

He will then hold talks and a press conference with Lee and then meet Chinese President Hu Jintao in Seoul ahead of the G20 summit, Rhodes said.

earlier related report
Canada cuts ties with North Korea
Ottawa (AFP) Oct 28, 2010 - Canada is limiting its engagement with North Korea and cutting off bilateral trade over North Korea's sinking of a South Korean warship earlier this year, the government announced Thursday.

"Canada takes a principled stand against those who recklessly commit acts of aggression in violation of international law," Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.

"The adoption of a controlled engagement policy and the imposition of special economic measures send a clear message to the North Korean government that its aggressive actions will not be tolerated."

The punitive measures include limiting official contact to regional security concerns, human rights and humanitarian situations, inter-Korean relations and consular issues.

All other government-to-government cooperation and communication has stopped, Cannon said.

Ottawa is also drafting additional sanctions against North Korea that would prohibit all imports and exports, new investments by Canadians, transfers of technology, and the provision of financial services to North Korea.

North Korean ships and aircraft will also be prohibited from docking or landing in Canada or passing through Canada.

The mostly symbolic move comes after a multinational investigation, which included three Canadian naval experts, concluded that the 1,200-tonne South Korean naval ship Cheonan was sunk by a North Korea torpedo in March.

The attack left 46 sailors dead.