NORTH KOREA - New Mexico Bill Richardson arrived today in Pyongyang, North Korea.

He is on an unofficial visit at the invitation of North Korea's top nuclear envoy.

The situation on the Korean peninsula has been tense since North Korea shelled a South Korean island last month.

"My objective is to see if we can reduce the tension on the Korean peninsula, that is my objective," said Richardson. "I am going to have a whole series of talks with North Korean officials here and I look forward to my discussions."