Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is expected to visit the United States next week. 

According to a number of diplomatic sources on Thursday, Kang is seeking to visit the U.S. around next Thursday and meet with her U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson. 

The sources also said that South Korea’s top nuclear negotiator, Lee Do-hoon, is likely to accompany Kang or arrive in Washington a day or two before the foreign minister. 

Kang’s visit comes as head of the presidential National Security Office Chung Eui-yong and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon will head to the U.S. on Thursday to brief about their latest visit to North Korea and likely convey a message to Washington from Pyongyang.

Kang, on her part, is expected to persuade the U.S. to hold direct talks with the North while devising a joint Seoul-Washington strategy ahead of such dialogue. 

She is expected to confirm that Seoul will maintain sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang as long as the North fails to take substantial steps toward denuclearization and to share views with U.S. officials on specific steps Seoul and Washington would take if talks resume between the U.S. and North Korea.