NEW YORK (Yonhap News) -- A senior North Korean official said Tuesday that he is optimistic about Pyongyang's relations with Washington and the future of the six-way nuclear talks.

"I believe North Korea-U.S. relations will improve as now is the time for all countries to reconcile," Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan told reporters.

He added, "(I) am optimistic of the prospects for the six-way talks and the North-U.S. relationship."

He made his remarks upon arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York for a meeting with U.S. government officials.

Kim said he plans to meet with Stephen Bosworth, Washington's point man on Pyongyang, on Thursday.

It would be their first talks since Bosworth visited Pyongyang in December 2009.

It also marks Kim's first trip to New York in four years.