Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg said he will urge North Korean officials to move forward quickly on a denuclearization agreement when he visits their capital with ex-Defense Secretary William J. Perry.

Gregg said he, Perry and former deputy assistant secretary of state Evans Revere expect to meet North Korea's nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Gwan while in Pyongyang to attend a Feb. 26 concert by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Implementation of the deal is stalled because of U.S. complaints that North Korea hasn't made a full disclosure of its nuclear weapons and power programs, as required under the agreement. North Koreans may be dragging their feet out of uncertainty over whether to proceed while U.S. President George W. Bush is still in office, Gregg said.

``I will tell them that they should not wait,'' he said in an interview today. Gregg said he will say, ``You need to take full advantage of what the Bush administration is now urging you to do, and move quickly on it.''

Gregg said the administration, while aware of his planned visit to Pyongyang, isn't encouraging or sponsoring it. He said he plans to brief the U.S. negotiator in the nuclear talks, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, on his trip shortly before he leaves for Korea.

Deadline Missed

North Korea completed the first phase of the accord by shutting down its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon in July and starting to dismantle it in November. The U.S. says the regime failed to meet a Dec. 31 deadline for disclosing its nuclear programs, including any uranium enrichment activities and technology transfers to other countries.

Last month, North Korean state media accused the U.S. of failing to meet a pledge to remove the communist country from a list of nations deemed state sponsors of terrorism.

The nuclear agreement among North Korea and five other nations -- the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and South Korea -- was signed last year. It provides for North Korea to receive 1 million metric tons of fuel oil, or the equivalent in aid, and for diplomatic ties with the U.S. to be normalized, in return for dismantling its nuclear efforts.

Gregg said he, Perry and Revere plan to travel to North Korea from Seoul across the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two countries after attending the Feb. 25 inauguration of Lee Myung-Bak as South Korean president. Their Pyongyang visit was previously reported by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Promoting Understanding

Perry's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Gregg is chairman and Revere is president of the New York-based Korea Society, which promotes U.S.-Korean understanding and helped plan the American orchestra's visit.

The concert in some way resembles China's 1971 ``ping-pong diplomacy,'' when its invitation to a U.S. table tennis team was followed by then U.S. President Richard Nixon's February 1972 visit and establishment of bilateral relations.

``This is way up the scale'' from the ping-pong analogy, Gregg said. ``This is involving a couple of hundred people. The preparations are extensive, and the aftermath will be extensive.

``I call it a 16-inch broadside of soft power fired by the Philharmonic,'' he said.

Gregg said the North Korean regime is making ``remarkable adjustments'' to facilitate the concert, including providing the orchestra with a scarlet Steinway piano.

Comprehensive Process

While Perry resigned as defense secretary in January 1997, he returned to President Bill Clinton's administration as an adviser and presented a 1999 report that laid out a comprehensive approach to North Korea, which became known as the ``Perry process.''

Both in and out of office, Perry from time to time threatened or suggested the possibility of military action to halt North Korean development of weapons of mass destruction, if necessary. Still, he argued that peaceful engagement with the country should be given a chance to bear fruit.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will also be in Seoul for the inauguration, has no plans to go on to North Korea, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said today in an e-mail. Nor do any other Bush administration officials.

``My guess is that the North Koreans are planning to sit out the Bush administration and wait to deal with President Obama,'' said Michael Breen, the Seoul-based author of a biography of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il. ``Musical diplomacy and entreaties by U.S. visitors later this month won't dissuade them, unless it is accompanied by a surprise visit by Ms. Rice.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Ken Fireman in Washington at kfireman1@bloomberg.net; Bradley K. Martin in Tokyo at bmartin18@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 14, 2008 16:36 EST