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Hill 'upbeat' after N Korea visit Hill upbeat after N Korea visit
(about 4 hours later)
US envoy Christopher Hill has said he had "good" talks during his first visit to North Korea, Chinese media reported. US envoy Christopher Hill has said he had "good" talks with officials during a surprise visit to North Korea.
Mr Hill was quoted by Xinhua news agency as he left Pyongyang for South Korea after two days of talks. He said they discussed ways of moving forward international talks on halting North Korea's nuclear programme.
He is on a regional tour aimed at regaining momentum in North Korea's nuclear disarmament process. Mr Hill is the most senior US State Department official to visit the secretive state since 2002.
The North agreed in February to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for aid, but progress was delayed by a row about frozen North Korean funds. Correspondents say bilateral talks are an indication the US trusts the North to act on its promise to "shut down and seal" its main nuclear reactor.
The US says the money has already been transferred from a Macau bank to North Korea, but Pyongyang has so far not confirmed this. The North agreed in February to close Yongbyon in return for aid, but progress has been delayed by a row over frozen North Korean funds.
It says it will not allow international inspectors into the country until the issue is settled.
N KOREA NUCLEAR DEAL N Korea to 'shut down and seal' Yongbyon reactor, then disable all nuclear facilitiesIn return, will be given 1m tonnes of heavy fuel oilN Korea to invite IAEA back to monitor dealUnder earlier 2005 deal, N Korea agreed to end nuclear programme and return to non-proliferation treatyN Korea's demand for light water reactor to be discussed at "appropriate time" Q&A: Nuclear standoffN KOREA NUCLEAR DEAL N Korea to 'shut down and seal' Yongbyon reactor, then disable all nuclear facilitiesIn return, will be given 1m tonnes of heavy fuel oilN Korea to invite IAEA back to monitor dealUnder earlier 2005 deal, N Korea agreed to end nuclear programme and return to non-proliferation treatyN Korea's demand for light water reactor to be discussed at "appropriate time" Q&A: Nuclear standoff
The inspectors are hoping to go to North Korea next week - their first visit since they were forced out of the country in 2002. The US says the money has already been transferred from a Macau bank to North Korea, but Pyongyang has not yet confirmed this.
They are expected to discuss the proposed closure of the Yongbyon reactor. The confusion throws into doubt a visit by UN nuclear watchdog inspectors planned for next week - their first since they were forced out of the country in 2002.
Mr Hill was the most senior US official to visit the country in five years. Mr Hill held meetings with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye-gwan, and Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun during his visit.
The US state department has denied that the visit signals a major shift in US policy, but the BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says it will be seen as a positive sign. "We had a good discussion about the way forward at the six-party talks, a very good discussion on the way forward and the need to move forward," he told reporters as he was leaving Pyongyang on Friday.
Washington has long rejected bilateral negotiations with North Korea, favouring six-party talks involving the whole region. Major shift?
The new urgency is a result of North Korea's test of a nuclear device last October. Mr Hill is the most senior US official to visit the country in five years.
Washington has in the past rejected bilateral negotiations with North Korea, favouring six-party talks that also involve South Korea, Japan, China and Russia.
While the US state department denied Mr Hill's visit signalled a major shift in US policy, a BBC correspondent in Washington said it would be viewed as a positive sign.
Mr Hill's visit had followed signs of visible progress, culminating last weekend in an invitation from Pyongyang for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to travel to the North to discuss shutting down Yongbyon.
An unnamed North Korean official was quoted as saying that Pyongyang planned to shut down Yongbyon in the second half of July.
The North's move had come on the back of news that a Russian bank had accepted the transfer of $25m (£12.5m) of Pyongyang's funds, which had been frozen in a Macau bank since 2005.
But progress on the nuclear issue looked shaky on Thursday after a North Korean official said completion of the funds transfer had not yet been confirmed - and warned it could mean a delay to the IAEA visit.