A US delegation will leave Washington for Asia today and expects to meet North Korean officials in Beijing this week as scheduled, a senior State Department official said.
The talks with the North Koreans, the first at this level since last October, had been in doubt after North Korea appeared to say it had started reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods.
A later translation produced by the U.S. government suggested that North Korea was on the verge of reprocessing the fuel rods but had not necessarily started.
The senior US official, who asked not to be named, said Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly would lead the delegation to meet the North Koreans.
"We are heading out there and expect to proceed as scheduled. We expect the group will be meeting the North Koreans in Beijing this week," he added.