South Korea's new chief nuclear negotiator left?Seoul for the United States Thursday to meet with U. S. counterparts over ending the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear program.

Lim Sung-nam, who replaced Wi Sung-lac as the top envoy to six- party nuclear talks, is scheduled to meet with officials at the U. S. State Department and the National Security Council to discuss the recent inter-Korean talks over denuclearization, according to the foreign ministry in Seoul.

Officials will also discuss coordinating policy on future inter- Korean talks and preconditions Pyongyang should meet before returning to the stalled nuclear disarmament talks, the foreign ministry said.

Lim's three-day visit comes after Seoul and Pyongyang held two rounds of rare talks over disarming the DPRK. Pyongyang and Washington are also expected to hold another round of denuclearization talks soon, raising hopes the momentum is building to restart the stalled talks.

Pyongyang declared the six-party aid-for-denuclearization talks, last held in December 2008, "dead" in 2009 but has since expressed its wish to return to the negotiating table.