A former United States top nuclear negotiator to North Korea has emphasized the importance of resolving Pyongyang's highly enriched uranium (HEU) issue alongside the shutdown of Yongbyon’s nuclear facilities.

Charles Pritchard, who acted as special envoy to negotiations with North Korea during the Senior Bush administration, made the statement Friday in a meeting with South Korean media in Washington.

The former official said the intelligence gathered by the U.S. government on the North’s HEU programs in 2002 was consistent and therefore overlooking the matter would be a grave offense.

Pritchard also said North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kang Seok-ju acknowledged the existence of HEU in the country, when special envoy James Kelly visited Pyongyang in 2002.

He criticized the current Bush administration for its failed North Korea policy, saying by shying away from direct engagement and relying on the six-party framework, it had worsened the situation.