US envoy Joseph Di Trani and the Department's Korean Affairs office head James Foster met with North Korean officials in New York last Friday, but with no apparent outcome, said Xinhua.
North Korea has boycotted the six-nation talks since the third round in June in Beijing last year. Aside from the United States and North Korea, the talks include host China, Russia, Japan and South Korea.
Chief North Korean Delegate, Kim Man-Gil reiterated that Washington must give up its hostile policy first.
US warns N Korea against nuke tests
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher described it as a "working-level meeting" to convey the US position on key issues.
"This is a fairly normal contact we have from time to time with the North Koreans. It is in no way a negotiation, it's just a way to make sure they are clear on what our position is," he said.
In a gesture to Pyongyang, the Bush administration has publicly recognized North Korea's sovereignty, a move to enhance North Korea's standing in the international community, said Xinhua.
But North Korea has rejected the overture, calling it a "lie" to conceal a plan to topple its government.
Also on Thursday, North and South Koreas wrapped up their first face-to-face talks in almost a year, agreeing to work together for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and to meet again in June.
But there was no mention of North Korea's nuclear ambitions, which South Korea had wanted to be included in the discussions.
However, South Korea announced it would ship 200,000 tonnes of desperately-needed fertiliser to the North.
In recent months, the North has declared itself a nuclear state, saying it was building up its nuclear weapons arsenal, and there have been repeated reports that it might be preparing for a nuclear test.
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