State Department to Grant Visa to North Korean Official for Talks With Scholars

The State Department has decided to allow a North Korean official to visit the United States for talks with U.S. scholars.

A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Friday that the United States will grant a visa to the official so he can attend a meeting with scholars in California. A similar meeting took place recently between a North Korean official and non-governmental food aid agencies.

"The State Department has decided to authorize the issuance of visas for Ambassador Ri Gun and his delegation to attend conferences in the United States in late October," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement.

It's unclear whether the North Korean official who will be granted the visa will meet with a U.S. diplomat at any point during the visit.

A source told Reuters there was a high probability U.S. diplomat Sung Kim would meet informally with Ri.

Fox News' Justin Fishel contributed to this report.