SEOUL, March 30 (UPI) -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will visit North Korea in April, possibly for talks on its nuclear drive, Seoul news reported said Friday.
Richardson, a declared presidential candidate, will fly directly from New Mexico to Pyongyang on a military plane provided by the U.S. government, Yonhap News Agency said, citing a well-informed diplomatic source in Washington.
"His visit is not directly related to the six-party talks (on North Korea's nuclear drive)," the source was quoted as saying. But the source indicated there were prior consultations between the governor and the administration, it said.
His visit comes at a time when the latest round of six-party talks ended without progress due to an impasse over frozen North Korea-linked funds at a Macao bank.
Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has kept in close contact with North Koreans since the Clinton administration, the news agency said.
