South Korea's top nuclear envoy has departed for the United States to discuss ways to resume dialogue with North Korea.

Before departure, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk told reporters on Sunday that he is visiting the United States to discuss ways to reactivate the Korean Peninsula peace process.

The envoy said that the Seoul government has held in-depth consultation with the Biden administration on various ways to resume talks between Pyongyang and Washington, adding he will seek candid talks with U.S. officials during the trip as well.

According to Seoul's Foreign Ministry, Noh will visit Washington until Wednesday at the invitation of his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim.

During the trip, Noh will meet officials from the State Department, the White House National Security Council and others to follow upon discussions he had with Kim in Seoul last week.

In the meetings, Noh is expected to assess the peninsula situation following the joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington and to discuss ways to resume dialogue with North Korea.

The North did not engage in provocation during the annual joint exercise, but remains unresponsive to the inter-Korean hotline calls even after the drill, which ended on Thursday.

Last Monday, the top envoys of South Korea and the United States discussed various areas of humanitarian aid to the North, including health care, quarantine against infectious diseases, drinking water and hygiene. The two sides also discussed sending aid through international and nongovernmental agencies.