"A key issue is (North Korea's) requirement to give us a correct and complete declaration. It is pretty clear that they are not ready to do that," he said.

Hill made the remarks in a meeting with reporters at Gimpo International Airport as part of a working tour of Northeast Asia. He added that patience would be needed to see the North make a complete declaration.

North Korea first talked about declaration targets at working-level talks on denuclearization in Shenyang, China last August.

"They have not wanted to list certain programs that we know about and they know that we know about. I don't think there is any reason to panic, no reason to get upset or turn this into a crisis," Hill said.

Before arriving in Seoul Hill met with Japanese delegates to the six-nation nuclear talks in Tokyo, where he made it clear that what North Korea has provided so far is short of expectations. "The declaration must be complete and correct.... A partial declaration is really no declaration at all," Hill said.

Hill had a dinner meeting with chief South Korean nuclear negotiator Chun Young-woo on Tuesday. He is scheduled to meet with president-elect Lee Myung-bak on Thursday.

(englishnews@chosun.com )