The U.S. State Department has reportedly urged Seoul to abide by UN sanctions against North Korea in relation to South Korean business leaders' planned trip to Pyongyang with President Moon Jae-in. 

The Voice of America(VOA) reported on Monday that an official from the State Department's spokesperson's office said that Washington expects all UN member nations to fully implement sanctions against the communist regime, including a ban on sectoral goods.

The official made the remarks when asked to comment on Seoul's plan to send top executives of South Korea's four conglomerates to Pyongyang to accompany President Moon Jae-in on his trip to North Korea. 

Regarding Moon's recent assessment that North Korea abandoned capabilities to further advance its nuclear and missile program, the official said the U.S. agrees with the International Atomic Energy Agency on its view that the North's nuclear activities are causing great concern. 

The VOA said the State Department also suggested that inter-Korean economic cooperation as well as energy development projects involving Russia and the two Koreas could be in violation of the UN sanctions.