The U.S. State Department says it will consider allowing a high-level North Korean diplomat in New York to attend a forum in Washington if Pyongyang requests such a visit.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Thursday that, as of Wednesday, Pyongyang has not requested for its Deputy Ambassador to the U.N., Han Song-ryol, to be able to visit Washington to take part in a peace symposium focusing on the Korean Peninsula. Boucher added that should the North make such a request, Washington would consider it, hinting that it might issue a travel permit for Han.

Washington has until now been forbidding Han from visiting the U.S. capital, while not limiting his travels elsewhere in the United States. North Korean diplomats are required to obtain permission from the U.S. government prior to traveling to U.S. cities other than New York.

Legislators from both South Korea and the U.S. are expected to attend the forum, which is being organized by three Korea-related U.S. organizations, including the Korea Society. Participants will hold debates on ways to establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and other security issues.