South Korea's chief nuclear envoy has visited the United States amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office.

Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon arrived at Dulles International Airport near Washington on Wednesday, 32 hours after the North's destruction of the liaison office.

Lee left the airport without answering questions from reporters about the purpose and schedule of his sudden U.S. trip.  

The envoy is likely to meet with senior officials of the U.S. State Department and the White House to discuss ways to ease tensions between the two Koreas and to revive the stalled negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. 

Lee is expected to meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who is scheduled to return to Washington on Thursday after meeting a Chinese delegation led by China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Hawaii.