U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill had "substantive, serious" talks with officials of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over DPRK's nuclear issue in New York on Thursday night, the State Department said Friday.

Hill, chief U.S. nuclear envoy, and Ri Gun, director general for North American Affairs at the DPRK Foreign Ministry, discussed the verification protocol, energy assistance, and disablement of the DPRK's nuclear facilities, State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.

They also discussed possible date of a new round of six-party talks, Wood said, adding that "we're, again, waiting for the Chinese to announce the date since they are basically the chair of the six-party talks."

The latest meeting between the United States and DPRK officials occurred after Washington and Pyongyang reached the agreement on verification measures over the latter's nuclear program early last month.

The United States removed the DPRK from its terrorism list on Oct. 11.

(Xinhua News Agency Novemebr 8, 2008)