sanctions on North Korea after the North's December 12 rocket launch.

A source familiar with the matter on Thursday confirmed an Associated Press report that Schmidt planned to visit North Korea with Richardson, a former governor of New Mexico, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and diplomatic troubleshooter.

The AP said Schmidt, a top figure in the U.S. technology industry and a key executive at the world's leading search engine company, could visit as early as this month, but added it was unclear which people he would meet or what his agenda is.

Google espouses a mission of organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful. North Korea is one of the world's most repressive states, with Internet access limited largely to the most influential officials andWednesday when asked about the AP report.

On Thursday, a Google spokeswoman and Richardson's office did not respond to emails seeking comment about the State Department's remarks.

A possible second aspect of Schmidt's visit as part of Richardson's delegation could be to try to obtain the release of Korean-American tourist Kenneth Bae, detained and accused of unspecified crimes against the state. Richardson has helped negotiate the release of detained Americans in the past.

North Korea said its December rocket launch put a weather satellite in orbit, but critics say it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to deliver a nuclear warhead with a long-range missile.

At the United Nations, council diplomats say North Korea's chief ally China so far has resisted U.S. and allies effort to expand sanctions imposed