The U.S. special envoy on North Korea Stephen Bosworth says the U.S. has no plans to invade the North or overthrow its government by force.

Speaking at the annual dinner of the Korea Society in New York on Tuesday, Bosworth rejected North Korea's assertion that its recent moves --- including a nuclear test and missile launches --- were done in response to U.S. hostility.

He urged Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks, saying that Washington is open to bilateral dialogue to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the normalization of relations with the communist state.

He said the six-party talks' participants remain open to meaningful dialogue and serious negotiations.