"The aim of this trip by the EU troika is to promote the rapid implementation of an agreement reached on February 13 in Beijing," the government said in a statement.

The Stalinist regime agreed to shut down its main nuclear facility and take steps towards giving up its atomic weapons programme in exchange for aid and moves towards full diplomatic ties with Washington.

The deal was reached in six-way talks with China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States four months after Pyongyang carried out its first nuclear test explosion.

The German government said the EU delegation would emphasise that the six-party talks had to continue to ensure all agreements between North Korea and the international community were implemented in full.

It added that the trip by officials representing Germany, the European Commission and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana -- the so-called troika -- as well as the next EU president Portugal was also of "an exploratory nature" as it would inform future ties with Pyongyang.

"The outcome of the visit will provide important guidelines for discussions within the EU as to its future relations with North Korea."

A foreign ministry spokesman said the delegation, which leaves North Korea early Thursday, would report back its findings to the rest of the EU for discussions on policy towards Pyongyang.

On Monday, the chief North Korean and US nuclear envoys began talks in New York in a first step toward normalising ties under the Beijing accord after half a century of hostility.

At the same time, US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is winding up an Asian tour aimed at getting North Korea to abide by the deal.