hankyoreh

The top U.S. negotiator in six-nation talks over North Korea's nuclear weapons program said Sunday that he will hold bilateral talks with his North Korean counterpart this week before the nuclear disarmament talks resume.

Upon arrival here for a three-day visit, Christopher Hill told reporters that he anticipates having a bilateral meeting with his North Korean counterpart, most likely on Tuesday.

The meeting between Hill and North Korea's Kim Kye-gwan will be the first of its kind since late last month, when the two held talks in Pyongyang during Hill's trip there.

Hill's remarks came hours after Pyongyang told Seoul and Washington that it has halted operations of its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon, the first step under a February agreement in which the communist nation promised to eventually disable the facilities in exchange for energy aid and political benefits.

The chief U.S. envoy welcomed the shutdown of the plutonium-producing facilities at Yongbyon, but noted that difficulties may arise during the second phase of the February agreement, during which Pyongyang is to disable its nuclear facilities.

"So we are very aware of the difficult road ahead, but when you take a long trip, it's good to take a good first step, and that was a good first step," Hill said.

The nuclear negotiations involving the two Koreas, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia are set to reopen in Beijing from Wednesday.

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap News)