"I have been informed lately that (US envoy Christopher) Hill will hold talks with his DPRK counterpart," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

"We're very glad at this news... we hope such talks between the United States and DPRK will be successful."

Qin had been asked to respond to a report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency that said Hill would meet with North Korea's Kim Kye-Gwan on Thursday or Friday, citing unnamed sources in Washington.

North Korea agreed last year to abandon nuclear weapons in exchange for badly needed energy and economic aid and major security and diplomatic benefits following the talks, which also included China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

But the disarmament process has been in a stalemate since North Korea missed an end-of-2007 deadline to declare all of its nuclear programmes.

Hill and Kim met in Beijing last month in an effort to break the current deadlock, but no progress was reported at the meeting.

One sticking point is believed to be a US demand that North Korea declare its suspected uranium enrichment programme.

Pyongyang has denied the existence of the programme.

Last week, North Korea's ruling communist party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, blamed Washington for the deadlock, saying the United States has yet to start removing the North from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.