North Korea seen talking after securing succession: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea will probably ease tensions it triggered with nuclear and missile tests now that it has moved to anoint leader Kim Jong-il's third son as his successor, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

"My guess is that the North Koreans are likely to come back to the bargaining table, especially now that it appears that the succession has been secured," said the Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

North Korea has asked the country's main bodies and its overseas missions to pledge loyalty to Kim's youngest son Kim Jong-un, various South Korean media outlets quoted sources as saying on Tuesday.

The U.S. official said ensuring a succession process for the ailing Kim Jong-il was one of North Korea's motives in ratcheting up tensions with a nuclear test on May 25 and a series of missile firings and warlike rhetoric.

Pyongyang also wants to kill off six-nation talks on its nuclear ambitions in favor of bilateral negotiations with the United States, secure recognition as a nuclear-armed state and improve its nuclear production facilities, the official said.

The United States rejected these North Korean goals and Pyongyang's provocations had "made it easy for us" to unite allies and regional powers behind increasing pressure, including more sanctions, he added.

The official said although it was possible that North Korean internal politics would drive further escalation, including missile tests, Washington thought Pyongyang would understand that it had antagonized China and Russia.

"Even Russia and China, which in the past have been extremely reluctant to apply pressure to North Korea, now recognize that the North Koreans have gone too far," the official said in Washington.

"We have to operate on the basis of an assumption that if we apply the proper mixture of pressure and incentives, the North Koreans will behave rationally, de-escalate and return to negotiations."

(Reporting by Paul Eckert; Editing by David Storey)