The United States reportedly plans to discuss the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program with North Korea next week.

The CTR Program, also known as the "Nunn-Lugar Program," seeks to block the transfer of weapons of mass destruction from the former Soviet Union to other nations, groups or individuals.

A source familiar with the North Korean nuclear standoff said a group of U.S. nuclear experts, including a former head of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, will visit the communist state next week.

According to the source, the delegation will meet with North Korean Foreign Ministry officials to discuss the program, which also provides funding and expertise to help former Soviet states decommission their nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons stockpiles.

The American nuclear experts also plan to review progress in the North's nuclear dismantlement.

Based on a 1992 U.S. law sponsored by Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar, the CTR aims to secure and dismantle weapons of mass destruction and related infrastructure in former Soviet states.