The U.S. chief nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill talks to reporters prior to his departure from Pyongyang on Friday. Hill wrapped up a surprise trip to North Korea on Friday, expressing satisfaction about his talks with officials there on moving forward with international efforts to halt the country's nuclear program./AP Hill Wraps Up Surprise Pyongyang Visit on Friday N.Korea Reactor Inactive ‘for About a Month’ N.Korea’s Money Transferred Out of Macau Three Challenges for the Six-Party Talks North Korea Puts IAEA Visit on Hold Rice ‘Could Visit N.Korea in the Fall’ IAEA Officials to Visit Pyongyang on Tuesday N.Korea to Disable Nuclear Facilities This Year: Hill Seoul to Start Shipping Energy Aid to N.Korea Conservative Consternation on North Korea, by Victor Cha Chinese FM Urges Kim Jong-il to Honor Commitments First 6,200-Ton Oil Shipment to N.Korea Off Next Week

A historic Feb. 13 six-nation agreement paved the way for North Korea to disable its nuclear programs in return for aid and security guarantees from the other participants of the six-party talks -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

However, the transfer of North Korea’s frozen funds from Banco Delta Asia in Macau has been the main obstacle to the North doing its part under the agreement until they came within the grasp of North Korean authorities after a trip around the world this week.

Hill, in a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Chun Yung-woo at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, said, "Both of us reaffirmed our commitments to the February agreement and the complete fulfillment of the February statement," although the details must still be worked out.

"I sense that we are going to be able to achieve our full objectives, that is complete denuclearization, but also burdened by the realization of the fact that we are going to have to spend a great deal of time, a great deal of effort, a lot of work in achieving these," Hill said.

Asked if he discussed about the North’s uranium-based nuclear program, Hill, without providing specifics, said that "we discussed all aspects of the six-party process. And all aspects means all aspects."

The U.S. chief nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill (left) talks with his South Korean counterpart Chun Young-woo after their press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Friday. Hill said North Korea is prepared to promptly close down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor in line with an agreement reached earlier this year./AP

Hill also said that he talked with North Korean officials about holding an early meeting of chief negotiators to the six-party talks as well as a meeting of foreign ministers from the six nations. South Korean chief nuclear envoy Chun said it is his understanding that "North Korea has reacted positively to the idea of holding a chief negotiators' meeting in early July followed by a foreign ministers' meeting at an appropriate time later on. The venue for the foreign ministers’ meeting would have to be decided by China, which is the host of the six-party talks, in consultation with the other participating nations.

Hill said the foreign ministers' meeting would bring an opportunity for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun to meet for the first time. He added he did not meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during this visit. Hill leaves South Korea for Japan on Saturday.

(englishnews@chosun.com )