U.S. and North Korean top nuclear envoys will likely visit each other’s country after reaching agreement in six-nation nuclear talks in Beijing on Tuesday, sources said Wednesday.

Diplomatic sources in Seoul said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan discussed exchanging visits in Berlin last month and during the latest round of the six-party nuclear talks. The sources predicted the visits will come soon after the two chief negotiators discuss the matter with their governments. Kim will visit the U.S. first, the sources said.

After the six-party talks ended on Tuesday, Hill told reporters he planned to invite his North Korean counterpart to New York as the first step in working-group talks between the U.S. and the North. But the actual visits are expected only after the two settle the issue of U.S. financial sanctions, including the freezing of North Korean accounts with the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia. If the U.S. unfreezes accounts worth US$11 million which North Korea says are legitimate, Pyongyang will consider that an expression of willingness to end its “hostile” policy toward the North and is likely to accept the U.S.’ invitation.

In that case, the U.S. and North Korean top nuclear envoys will take turns visiting each other’s capital in March or April on the pretext of coordinating working group talks that will deal with the normalization of their diplomatic ties. The two will head the working groups. If the visits happen, discussions to remove Pyongyang from Washington’s list of states sponsoring terrorism and lift economic restrictions under the U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act will progress more swiftly.

A South Korean government official said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could also visit North Korea if the North Korea goes ahead with disabling its nuclear facilities under the agreement. In 2000, then U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright and North Korean Vice Marshal Cho Myong-rok exchanged visits to discuss normalization of diplomatic ties.

(englishnews@chosun.com )