A senior South Korean official says the six-party nuclear talks are likely to resume this month or the next.

The official made the comment while visiting Washington on Sunday to attend Seoul-Washington strategic ministerial talks.

The official says the U.S. plans to respond to further demands for contact from the North on the condition that Pyongyang clearly states when it will return to the talks.

But the official says no decision has been made on whether the bilateral contact will be in New York when North Korean senior diplomat Kim Kye-kwan visits the U.S. or be held separately, and that the parties need additional discussions.

Deputy U.S. Secretary of State James Steinberg will visit China and Japan from Tuesday. He is in charge of U.S. policy toward North Korea.