South Korea's deputy foreign minister will visit Iran this week for policy talks with his counterpart amid renewed interest in business opportunities there following a landmark nuclear deal, a government official said Monday.
Kim Hong-kyun plans to visit Tehran for two days starting Friday and meet with Ibrahim Rahimpour, deputy minister for Asia and Pacific affairs, for their countries' annual high-level policy talks.
The trip comes two months after Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- Britain, France, China, Germany, Russia and the U.S. -- struck a deal aimed at curbing Iran's uranium enrichment program in exchange for international sanctions relief.
"The sanctions are still in place, so we plan to stay within our boundaries while seeking ways to expand our presence in Iran," the official told Yonhap News Agency on the condition of anonymity.
During his trip, Kim will meet with South Korean businessmen in Iran to hear their views on how the government can help their operations.
He also plans to pay a courtesy call on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and hold talks with Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, deputy minister for legal and international affairs.
"As they were both in a position of overall responsibility for the Iranian nuclear talks, it will be an opportunity to hear about how the talks progressed," the official said.
The discussions are also expected to lend insight into resolving the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, a diplomatic source said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The sanctions on Iran will remain in place until after the International Atomic Energy Agency verifies whether the country is abiding by the agreement, a process expected to be completed in the first half of next year. (Yonhap)
