PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) – American presidential candidate Bill Richardson arrived Sunday in North Korea for a rare visit to the isolated country by a prominent American official.

The trip, which has been endorsed by the Bush Administration, comes days before a crucial deadline in a recent nuclear disarmament accord.

Mr. Richardson, the Democratic governor of New Mexico, said he had no intention of negotiating nuclear matters. The delegation he brings aims to recover the remains of American servicemen killed during the Korean War.

Still, he told The Associated Press on the flight to Pyongyang that the timing of the visit is important and will show North Korea America’s good intentions, ahead of next Saturday’s deadline for North Korea to shut down its main nuclear reactor.

The North Koreans, he said, will understand the symbolism of a delegation that includes Anthony Principi, the former veteran affairs secretary for President Bush, and Victor Cha, a top adviser on North Korea.

“It could be the signal of an improved relationship,” he said of the discussions to secure American remains. “The North Koreans always consider protocol very important. They like to be considered a major power in the region.”

Since the breakthrough Feb. 13 nuclear agreement, there has been little progress. The North has refused further negotiations due to the delayed transfer of $25 million in the regime’s money frozen by Macau authorities after America blacklisted a bank in that Chinese administrative region in 2005 for allegedly helping Pyongyang launder money.

Some worry the concerns could delay implementation of the disarmament agreement.

The State Department said Friday that a hitch stalling the release of the funds had been resolved, potentially clearing the way for the disbursement of the money. No details were released on when or how the money would be transferred.

Many details of Mr. Richardson’s schedule in North Korea were unclear, even on the flight to Pyongyang.

Mr. Richardson said he requested to meet with top North Korean leaders and to visit the North’s sole operating nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, 55 miles north of Pyongyang.

On Wednesday, the delegation plans to drive from Pyongyang to South Korea, hopefully with the American remains.

However, Mr. Richardson said the way the North typically operates made it difficult to predict how the trip would go.

“They never tell you the schedule until you arrive,” said Mr. Richardson, on his sixth trip to North Korea. “It’s the nature of the regime. They want to keep you off-balance.”

Mr. Richardson has regularly made diplomatic trips, often on his own initiative, to a number of countries at odds with America.