TOKYO, January 10. /TASS/. North Korea’s special envoy for nuclear-related problems will meet with a number of former diplomats from the United States next week in Singapore, Kyodo reported on Saturday.

The talks will focus on a number of bilateral issues, including North Korea’s nuclear problem. The North Korean envoy is expected to meet with Stephen Bosworth, the former United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy.

Relations between Pyongyang and Washington has recently aggravated on the backdrop of cyberattacks on Sony Pictures. The United States puts the blame for these attacks on North Korea. In early January, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a decree allowing the Department of the Treasury to impose sanctions against North Korean leaders and organizations. It was done as a response to the cyberattacks on the film company and over Washington’s general concern over Pyongyang’s policy. North Korea, in turn, said the U.S. sanctions were “counterproductive and would not weaken the country.” Pyongyang, according to a foreign ministry representative, “has nothing to do with the cyberattack.”