Ban expects talks with N. Korea's No. 2 leader in Iran

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday he will meet North Korea's number two leader Kim Yong-nam later this week in Iran, where a Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit will take place.

"As there are many occasions for participating heads of state to get together, there will be a chance to meet Chairman Kim Yong-nam and talk about peace on the Korean Peninsula and South-North Korea exchanges," Ban told Korean correspondents in Washington.

Ban said he will visit Tehran from Wednesday through Friday to join the NAM summit. North Korea will be represented by Kim, head of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.

North Korea is among the 120 member states that claim not to be aligned to any major power bloc.

Ban, however, ruled out the possibility of formal bilateral talks with Kim, citing busy schedules for them during the upcoming conference.

Ban, formerly a South Korean foreign minister, said working for peace and stability on the peninsula is one of his "basic responsibilities" not only as the U.N. chief, but also as a Korean national.

He entered a second term in 2011. He vowed to continue to search for what he can do about the North Korea issue during the remainder of his tenure.

On humanitarian assistance for North Korea, hit by a long spell of droughts followed by floods, he said consultations are under way for it through the World Food Program and UNICEF.

The life-time diplomat, known for prudent remarks in public, said he will not be drawn into questions about territorial and historical disputes between Seoul and Tokyo.

"It's not appropriate to make concrete and direct comments about (bilateral) issues between South Korea and Japan," he said.

Ban is heading to Iran despite objections from the U.S. and Israel.

They expressed worries that it may send a wrong signal to Iran refusing to abandon its nuclear program and seeking to win international support.

"I am well aware of concerns and sensitivity about my participation in the conference," Ban said.

He added he will meet Iranian leaders and convey the international community's message over its suspected pursuit of highly-enriched uranium.

Ban arrived in Washington earlier Sunday to be reunited with dozens of old friends whom he met five decades ago under a program sponsored by the American Red Cross.

 In August 1962, Ban, as a South Korean teenager, traveled to the U.S. along with 41 students from 25 nations to join the Visit of International Students to America (VISTA) program. (Yonhap News)