South Korean, Russian Diplomats To Discuss Korean Denuclearization On Tuesday - Seoul

Senior diplomats from South Korea and Russia will conduct a meeting on Tuesday in Seoul, where they will discuss issues related to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Monday.

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2018) Senior diplomats from South Korea and Russia will conduct a meeting on Tuesday in Seoul, where they will discuss issues related to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon will hold a meeting in Seoul on December 18 with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in their capacity as the Republic of Korea and Russian head delegates to the Six-Party Talks ... At the upcoming meeting, the two sides will exchange views on the progress in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss ways that the ROK (the Republic of Korea) and Russia can work together to achieve a complete denuclearization and establish a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said in a statement.

The Six-Party talks were a mechanism for dismantling North Korea's nuclear program through negotiations hosted in Beijing between 2003 and 2009.

They included delegations from North Korea, Russia, China, the United States, Japan and South Korea, but were suspended in 2009 after North Korea declared its withdrawal.

A new serious denuclearization attempt started in 2018 following the June US-North Korea summit in Singapore and South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean chairman Kim Jong Un's meeting in Pyongyang in September. Seoul and Washington agreed to push forward the denuclearization process in exchange for suspending joint US-South Korea military drills and potential sanctions relief, but did not specify the time frame or regulation mechanisms.

Future talks have, however, been stalled, with Pyongyang insisting on immediate sanctions relief after Washington announced it had sanctioned three top North Korean officials. There have been talks about a potential second US-North Korea summit.