South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold trilateral talks with their nuclear envoys this week on ways to bring North Korea to the bargaining table, an official here said Monday.

First, Kim Guun, director general for North Korean nuclear affairs at South Korea's Foreign Ministry, plans to meet with his visiting American counterpart Sydney Seiler later in the day.

Arriving in South Korea on Sunday, Seiler said his trip comes at an "important" time.

Many expect the North to resume provocative acts in the coming months amid reports of its preparations for the launch of a long-range rocket. Pyongyang openly said it's not interested in Iran-style nuclear negotiations.

Kim and Seiler will "review the current situation and exchange ideas on how to restart the six-way talks," the government official said, requesting anonymity.

The talks, also involving China, Japan, and Russia, have not been held since late 2008.

The two will hold talks again in Tokyo on Friday joined by a Japanese nuclear envoy, Shigeki Takizaki, according to the official.

Last week, South Korea's top delegate to the six-way talks Hwang Joon-kook traveled to Beijing for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei.