U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has denied the notion that divisions in the Bush administration have hampered Washington's efforts to deal with North Korea's nuclear standoff.

In an interview with the Far Eastern Economic Review ahead of his trip to Asia, Powell said that President George W. Bush is intent on solving the problem diplomatically.

Powell is set to kick off an Asian trip on Friday that will take him to Japan, China and South Korea. He will be arriving in Seoul on Monday.

Powell's trip, coming just days before the American presidential election, has raised some eyebrows in Seoul over its motives.

South Korean officials said Powell's regional tour is partly aimed at resuming stalled six-nation nuclear talks. The multilateral discussions have been deadlocked since Pyongyang refused to attend a fourth round of negotiations, which were due to be held last month.