South Korean nuclear envoy heads to Washington DC for talks on N. Korea

South Korea's top nuclear envoy left Tuesday for the United States to discuss ways to maintain momentum in efforts to denuclearise North Korea following a no-deal Hanoi summit, Yonhap news agency reported.

Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said he plans to meet with his American counterpart, Stephen Biegun, and other officials in Washington DC.

"In the process, (we) plan to analyse the outcome of the North Korea-US summit in Hanoi, solidifying coordination between South Korea and the US, and consult on what to do going forward," he told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, shortly before departure.