US official says trip to N Korea 'problematic' now

WASHINGTON: Visiting North Korea while the communist state appears ready to test-fire a long-range missile would be "problematic," a senior US diplomat told a Congressional hearing on Thursday.   

"It is a little problematic to be invited to Pyongyang at a time when they are aiming a missile," Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill told lawmakers who had urged him to take up an invitation to visit North Korea in order to restart stalled nuclear talks.   

"Fundamentally, the question I have is 'are they serious about getting this done'," Hill told the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the House of Representatives International Relations Committee.   

Hill, the top US negotiator with North Korea, urged the North to join the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea in resuming six-party talks. The talks have been stalled since November.