SEOUL, South Korea - Negotiations on North Korea's nuclear program will resume this week for the first time in nine months, South Korea's nuclear envoy said Tuesday.
The talks had been on hold since October due to a dispute over North Korea's obligation to declare its nuclear programs.
Host China was to announce that the talks would resume Thursday, Seoul's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Sook said before he departed to the Chinese capital for preparatory meetings.
The six-nation talks - which include China, Japan, Russia, the U.S. and the two Koreas - are resuming after Pyongyang turned in a partial nuclear declaration and has also made progress in disabling its main atomic facility.
The talks were expected to focus on how to verify the North's declaration.
In response to the North's submission of the declaration, the United States announced it would remove the North from a list of state sponsors of terrorism and also relaxed some economic sanctions against the communist nation.
To demonstrate its commitment to disarm, Pyongyang destroyed the cooling tower at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex.
But signalling potential difficulties in the upcoming talks, the North said last week it will not take further steps to dismantle its nuclear program until the U.S. and its other negotiating partners provide it with promised fuel oil and political benefits.
