North Korea said after a visit to Pyongyang by U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy that six-party talks on its nuclear program should restart.

Special envoy Stephen Bosworth's visit to the secretive communist state saw the first direct talks between the U.S. and North Korea since President Obama took office.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry said Pyongyang would seek to work with Washington to clear up "remaining differences."

"[North Korea] and the United States agreed to continue cooperation in order to narrow remaining differences," a Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by North Korean media.

"The two sides were able to deepen mutual understanding, narrow differences in views and find considerable common ground. A series of mutual understandings were also reached on the need to resume [six party talks]".

Bosworth had earlier described the three-day talks as "useful" but said he did not know when talks would start again.

Six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, the U.S., Russia and Japan broke down in April when North Korea walked out of the negotiating process over U.S. condemnation of its missile tests. The North recently hinted that it was willing to return to six-party talks, but insisted it first negotiate directly with the U.S. to repair "hostile relations."

MOSCOW, December 11 (RIA Novosti)