The next round of six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes will be held on December 8 in China, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.
The talks will take place after North Korea said it would cut off much of the traffic across the heavily armed border with its wealthy neighbour in anger at the hardline policies of Seoul's new conservative leader.
Below are some questions and answers on what North Korea stands to gain and why regional powers will be holding the talks in the closing weeks of US President George W Bush's term.
