WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy responsible for policy toward North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, will visit South Korea, China and Japan this week for consultations on North Korean issues, the State Department said on Sunday.
Bosworth will arrive in Seoul on Tuesday, travel to Beijing on Wednesday and continue to Tokyo on Thursday.
"In all three cities, he will meet with senior government officials to discuss next steps on the Korean peninsula," the State Department said in a statement.
The U.S. envoy for nuclear talks with North Korea, Sung Kim, will travel with Bosworth to Seoul and Beijing, the statement said.
North Korea, which walked out on six-party aid-for-disarmament talks, has said it wants to return to the negotiating table. The talks are aimed at compensating impoverished and isolated North Korea for steps to dismantle its nuclear program.
Tension on the divided Korean peninsula has risen sharply since the North shelled a South Korean island in November, killing two soldiers and two civilians.
In March, the South blamed the North for torpedoing one of its navy ships, killing 46 sailors. Pyongyang denies the charge. (Reporting by JoAnne Allen; Editing by John O'Callaghan)
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