Christopher Hill, U.S. chief negotiator for the six-party talks, said Friday here that his meeting with his counterpart of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Berlin was "very useful."

"Certainly the discussions with the DPRK were very useful," Hill told reporters upon his arrival at the Incheon International Airport.

"What we now need to do is see how those discussions can be folded into the six-party process," he added.

Hill's remarks came after his three-day meeting with Kim Kye- gwan, DPRK's vice foreign minister as well as the chief negotiator for the six-party talks, in Berlin. Hill came directly to Seoul after finishing the bilateral contact between Washington and Pyongyang.

Hill said he hoped the next session of the six-party talks, which groups China, DPRK, the United States, South Korea, Russia and Japan, would reopen "pretty soon."

"I want to emphasize once again that the negotiations for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula take place in the six- party talks," Hill said.

"I hope the discussions in Berlin, which I did feel were very useful, will contribute to an agreement in the six-party process," he added.

As to the date of the next session of the six-party talks, Hill said he hopes the talks would be reconvened before the Chinese Lunar New Year's day, which is on Feb. 18.

The latest session of the six-party talks was held in last December in Beijing. The parties concerned failed to make major progress but agreed to have another session as soon as possible.

Hill is expected to visit Japan on Saturday.

Source: Xinhua