US envoy on North Korea visits border village

US special envoy for North Korea has visited a border village the rival Koreas have been demilitarising as part of steps to reduce military tensions amid a larger diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis.

The US Embassy in Seoul on Thursday did not provide details about Stephen Biegun's visit to Panmunjom. 

He wasn't expected to meet with North Korean officials at the village, which is often used for diplomacy between the allies and North Korea.

Biegun said after arriving in South Korea on Wednesday that Washington is reviewing easing travel restrictions on North Korea to facilitate humanitarian shipments to help resolve an impasse in nuclear negotiations.

Biegun will discuss with South Korean officials the allies' policies on North Korea, including the enforcement of sanctions.

The DMZ was the scene of the first dramatic April summit between Kim and Moon, as well as their second, more low-key meeting, in May.

In April, the neighbors announced their intention to turn the DMZ - long a symbol of tension and division - into a “peace zone”.

They have already dismantled propaganda loudspeakers and some guard posts along the border.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also vowed to work toward denuclearisation during his historic June summit with US President Donald Trump.