U.S. chief nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill will return to Seoul Friday afternoon from his surprise trip to North Korea on its denuclearization issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported.
Hill will brief South Korean officials on the outcome of his trip to Pyongyang upon returning to Seoul Friday afternoon, ministry officials said.
He will meet his counterpart Chun Yung-woo from 3:20 and then participate in a joint press briefing, they said.
Hill is also expected to brief Foreign Minister Song Min-soon about the outcome of his trip, including his meetings with his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan and other ranking officials.
The U.S. diplomat flew to Pyongyang Thursday from a U.S. air base in Osan, south of Seoul, where he had arrived earlier from Japan.
Hill's North Korea trip came as the communist nation has invited back officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for inspection of its nuclear facilities, in a reversal from its months-long refusal to implement the February accord.
In another development, Foreign Minister Song will visit the United States next week to discuss ways to expedite North Korea's denuclearization process agreed on in a February multilateral nuclear deal, a ministry official said.
"Song will depart Wednesday for Washington, where he will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice," the official said, adding Song will also hold talks with other ranking officials during his stay there. The length of visit has yet to be determined.