The U.S. State Department confirmed Friday that it has authorized the issuance of visas to a delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to attend meetings in the United States.

"The State Department has decided to authorize the issuance of visas for Ambassador Ri Gun and his delegation to attend conferences in the United States in late October," Ian Kelly, spokesman for the department, said in a statement.

Ri Gun is deputy representative of the DPRK at the six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean peninsula.

Kelly made the statement in response to earlier media reports that Ri has been granted a visa to attend conferences to be held in California and New York separately.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told media here on Friday that Ri is expected to meet a senior U.S. diplomat during his stay in the United States.

The six-party talks involve China, the United States, the DPRK, Russia, South Korea and Japan.

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