Stephen Bosworth's three-nation tour comes six weeks after the North shelled the frontier island of Yeonpyeong, killing four South Koreans, including two civilians, and sending tensions in the region to their highest level in years.

The US embassy in Beijing said Bosworth had arrived in Beijing Wednesday evening, where he will hold talks with officials before his expected departure on Thursday for Tokyo.

In Seoul, Bosworth met South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, Wi Sung-lac, and foreign minister Kim Sung-Hwan, for talks centred on Pyongyang's nuclear programme and easing strains that have emerged since November's attack.

Foreign ministry officials said Bosworth used the discussions to say that Pyongyang needed to show it was sincere about mending ties with Seoul if six-party international talks on its nuclear programme are to resume.

Kim added that any resumption in the multi-party talks should be preceded by two-way talks between the Koreas.

The North has refused to discuss the nuclear issue directly with the South, saying it only wants to deal with Washington.

"The six-party talks are a useful framework for negotiation on the North's denuclearisation but in order to achieve tangible progress through the talks, the right atmosphere -- including bilateral talks -- should be created," Kim said.

"The government will continue pursuing both tracks -- dialogue and sanctions -- to press the North to prove its willingness for denuclearisation through actions," he said.

Upon arrival in Seoul Tuesday, Bosworth called for "serious negotiations" as a central strategy to deal with the communist state.

Bosworth also held talks with Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, before leaving for Beijing.

Pyongyang's communist party daily Rodong Sinmun said that tensions on the peninsula must be reduced "at the earliest possible date", echoing a New Year message calling for improved relations with the South.

"Resolving political and military tensions are a prerequisite to improving inter-Korean relations and to pursuing national reconciliation and cooperation," it said in an editorial.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said that dialogue with the North should be constructive. "We don't just want to have talks for talks' sake," he said.

He said the United States wanted to see a reduction of tension between the Koreas, an end to North Korean provocation, and a seriousness of purpose with respect to its obligations under a 2005 agreement on denuclearisation.

"We did have a spike in tension towards the end of the year. We have noted that that tension has eased somewhat, but the underlying issues are still there," Crowley said.

Cross-border tensions have been high since the North shelled Yeonpyeong island on November 23. The North also raised security fears that month by disclosing a uranium enrichment plant to visiting US experts.

Bosworth and Wi agreed that the North's uranium programme deserved a stern response from the international community, foreign ministry officials said.

The North has insisted the plant is designed solely to fuel a light-water reactor being built to produce energy. But US officials and experts say this could easily be converted to produce weapons-grade uranium.

After a difficult year on the Korean peninsula, 2011 started on a more peaceful note.

North Korea began the year with calls for improved relations with Seoul, while South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak Monday also reached out, saying he was open to talks and offering closer economic ties.

Efforts to resume long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks with the North have also gained momentum as Beijing urged dialogue and Pyongyang signalled it was willing to return to the negotiating table.

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