The United States has shipped 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said US State Department yesterday.

"The United States is doing its part with regard to action for action," said State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood, adding that the fuel oil is scheduled to arrive in the DPRK in late November and early December.

The United States will continue to have discussions with the DPRK over its nuclear program, he said.

Under a deal reached in February 2007, the DPRK was to receive 1 million tons of fuel oil or equivalent energy aid from the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan, in return for disabling its plutonium-producing facilities.

The six countries have conducted negotiations, well known as the six-party talks, since 2003, in order to solve nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula in a political method.

The United States removed the DPRK from its terrorism- sponsoring states list early last month after the two sides reached an agreement on verification measures over the latter's nuclear program.