The governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, is expected to make a visit to North Korea next week.

A U.S. official said Tuesday that Richardson’s trip is a private visit and that he will not be delivering a message from Washington.

The Washington Post reported earlier in the day that Richardson had been invited to the North by Pyongyang officials involved with the North’s nuclear program.

Richardson visited North Korea twice in the 1990s and also met with North Korean officials in Santa Fe last year.

Tony Namkung, a Korean-American senior advisor to Richardson, also visited North Korea in September.