New U.S. team works on N. Korea issues

SEOUL, July 20 (UPI) -- Diplomats in South Korea say a new team of U.S. officials has taken over efforts to verify North Korea has dismantled its nuclear programs.

The new team, which was described by diplomats as "hardline," could delay the dismantling process, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Sunday.

Patricia McNerney, chief of the U.S. State Department's international security and non-proliferation team, represented Washington at a working group on North's held in Beijing earlier in this month, Yonhap reported.

Diplomats said McNerney's participation in the talks for the first time can be seen as a sign that the United States is pushing for tough verification measures.

Previously, Christopher Hill, the top U.S. envoy at the six-way talks, or Sung Kim, director of Korea Affairs at the State Department, led talks on North Korea's denuclearization.

North Korea has agreed to jettison its nuclear program in exchange for energy aid and political concessions.