South Korea's chief nuclear envoy plans to visit Russia next month to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea's nuclear program, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.
Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul's top negotiator on the stalled six-party talks to denuclearize the communist country, will embark on a four-day trip to Russia on Monday and meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov on Wednesday, according to the ministry.
His visit comes as North Korea has actively reached out to Moscow in an apparent move to come out of international isolation and to garner support.
During a visit to Russia last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy, Choe Ryong-hae, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, agreeing to deepen bilateral ties.
After a meeting with Choe, Lavrov said the communist country is ready to return to the six-nation talks without preconditions.
The multilateral forum involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan have been stalled since late 2008, with Seoul and Washington calling on Pyongyang to take sincere, concrete actions before the resumption of any talks.
"We basically share with Russia the notion that North Korea's nuclear programs will not be tolerated and it will never be acknowledged as a nuclear state," foreign ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said at a regular press briefing.
Hwang's visit to Russia aims to exchange views on the overall situation of the Korean Peninsula, including the North's recent diplomatic activities and to discuss ways on how to deal with the bellicose regime's nuclear issues, he noted.
"Under the situation where North Korea appears to be closer to Russia than its long-time ally of China, Hwang's visit is expected to let us learn the most recent information on what Pyongyang has on its mind," Seoul's foreign ministry official said. He refused to be identified.
Hwang last visited Russia in June. (Yonhap)
