U.S. special representative for North Korea policy Stephen Bosworth will visit Pyongyang early next month as a special presidential envoy.

A senior official at the State Department said Friday that a delegation of four or five government officials, including Bosworth, will visit the North for three days starting December eighth.

The official said that the U.S. delegation’s stay could be extended depending on the progress made in talks with the North Koreans. The official said that shortly after the visit to the North, the U.S. delegation will visit South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.

Earlier on Thursday, during a joint news conference after holding summit talks with President Lee Myung-bak, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that Bosworth will visit Pyongyang on December eighth for bilateral talks with the communist state.