SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea signaled today it remains open to suspending uranium enrichment in exchange for U.S. food aid, a deal that appeared imminent before leader Kim Jong Il died last month.

The North complained that the United States had “drastically” changed the amount and kind of aid it would send, but said officials would wait and “see if the United States has a willingness to establish confidence” with North Korea — which observers saw as Pyongyang’s precondition for making the food-for-uranium-suspension deal happen.

The North’s statement offers an early look at how the government now led by Kim Jong Il’s son, Kim Jong Un, will handle two of North Korea’s most pressing issues: a long-running food crisis and years of international pressure to end its nuclear program.