U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy to North Korea Lynn Pascoe has arrived in Pyongyang for a four-day visit.

Pascoe, the under-secretary-general of the United Nations for political affairs, flew to Pyongyang from Beijing aboard North Korea’s Air Koryo flight.

During his stay, he will meet with Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun and other top officials to discuss a wide range of issues, including nuclear concerns and humanitarian aid.

North Korea is expected to urge the U.N. Security Council to ease sanctions on the North.

The envoy's visit is forecast to help facilitate a resumption of high-level talks between the U.N. and the communist state. Talks have been halted since 2005.