North Korea and the United States are likely to hold their third round of high-level talks as early as Thursday next week.

A number of diplomatic sources say, Ri Gun, the head of North American affairs department at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry will meet U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Robert King in Beijing to discuss the U.S. food aid to the North.

Sources say a third round of high-level talks could open soon if the North accepts U.S. proposals regarding the type of food aid and the method of monitoring its distribution during Thursday's meeting.

The U.S. is likely to underline that the stalled six-way nuclear talks can resume only after the North is confirmed to be sincere about denuclearization. Sources note the U.S. hopes North Korea will show its sincerity by coming up with a detailed plan on how it plans to scrap its uranium enrichment program, which is a key preliminary step toward denuclearization.

Geneva and Beijing are being mentioned as possible venues for the potential talks, but no final decisions have been reached.