North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Beijing on Thursday ahead of the expected resumption of denuclearization talks with the United States.

A North Korean delegation led by Kim Myong-gil was spotted at a Beijing airport. There's speculation they will leave for the Swedish capital of Stockholm later in the day.

On Tuesday, the North's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said that Pyongyang and Washington agreed to resume talks Saturday, after the two sides make "preliminary contact" Friday. She did not give details on the venue for the talks.

There has been speculation that the meeting could take place in Sweden, where the envoys of the two Koreas and the U.S. met in January ahead of the Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam. 

This weekend's envisioned talks will mark the first nuclear negotiations between the two sides since February's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un broke down without a deal due to gaps over Pyongyang's denuclearization measures and Washington's sanctions relief.

[Photo : YONHAP News]