The seven-member delegation plans to cross the tense land border between the two Koreas to return to Seoul later Saturday, said an official at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing policy. He declined to provide further details.

During a five-day visit, the U.S. experts teamed up with Chinese and Russian specialists to survey the North's main atomic facilities at Yongbyon, 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, in an effort to determine how to disable them so they cannot produce material for bombs.

They also held talks with North Korean officials, but it was not clear if any specific agreement was reached.

Sung Kim, chief Korea expert for the U.S. State Department, who headed the three-nation team, said Thursday their two-day trip to Yongbyon was useful.

Their findings are to be reported to the six-nation North Korea nuclear talks expected to resume in Beijing next week.

North Korea is required to disable Yongbyon in exchange for economic aid and political concessions under a February deal with the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Russia. In July, the North closed its sole functioning reactor at Yongbyon and other facilities ahead of their disablement.

Pyongyang agreed at bilateral talks with the U.S. earlier this month to complete the disablement by year's end.

The North's invitation to the American nuclear experts was the latest sign that it is serious about disarming.

North Korea, which conducted its first-ever nuclear test last October, has been cooperative in the nuclear disarmament talks as Washington made a series of conciliatory moves, including meeting Pyongyang's demand in a separate banking dispute with the U.S.

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