U.S. officials say they hope North Korea comes to the upcoming round of six-party nuclear talks ready to follow through on commitments made in the last round of discussions.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says the new round of talks will require tough negotiating to move forward.
On Thursday, China confirmed the next round of talks will begin November 9 in Beijing.
At the last round, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for economic aid and security assurances. But Pyongyang then said it will not disarm unless it is first given a civilian, light-water nuclear reactor to generate electricity. U.S. officials say the demand is unacceptable.
The six-party talks include both Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States.
Some information for this report provided by AP.