U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she hopes U.S. special envoy Stephen Bosworth will be successful in persuading North Korea to return to the six-party nuclear talks during his trip to Pyeongyang.

Clinton told reporters Monday that she would like to see the envoy's trip bear fruit in working towards a denuclearized Korean peninsula.

Earlier in the day, a senior State Department official said Bosworth's visit is not intended to be a "lengthy bilateral engagement," but rather to determine North Korea's intentions.