Top diplomats from Seoul, Beijing to hold talks in Myanmar

South Korea's foreign minister plans to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Friday on the sidelines of Asia's biggest security forum in a bid to discuss North Korea's nuclear program and other bilateral issues, government officials said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is to arrive in Naypyitaw on Friday to join a series of meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the ASEAN Regional Forum. ARF will be held on Sunday.

Yun plans to hold a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the afternoon, marking their second talks so far this year.

He visited Seoul in May for the first time since he took office last year.

"The two foreign ministers are likely to discuss the North's nuke threats and pending bilateral issues, including a follow-up to last month's summit between Seoul and Beijing," a government official said.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, held a summit in early July in Seoul. They said that they are "firmly" opposed to North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Seoul is seeking to drum up support from member countries to ARF as the North continues to make provocations by launching short-range missiles and rockets.

Top diplomats from 26 Asia-Pacific countries and the European Union are scheduled to gather together for ARF and other ASEAN talks. ARF draws all members to the six-party talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons program.

North Korea's nuke threats, territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the Ukraine crisis are likely to top the agenda for this year's regional forum, Seoul officials said. (Yonhap)