South Korea's top negotiator on ending North Korea's nuclear program will fly to Moscow next week to discuss denuclearization policy with his Russian counterpart, the foreign ministry said Friday.



Cho Tae-yong, Seoul's point man on the long-stalled six-party talks, will visit Russia for three days from Tuesday to hold the bilateral meeting with Igor Vladimirovich Morgulov, Moscow's top negotiator on North Korea's denuclearization, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



During the meeting, the two officials will discuss the current situation of the Korean Peninsula as well as their policies on how to deal with the North's nuclear programs, the ministry said.



Cho will also meet with other Russian figures during the visit in order to discuss the North Korean issue, it said.



The visit comes as the member countries of the six-way talks, designed to persuade the North to discard its nuclear programs, are scurrying to revive the disarmament-for-aid dialogue, which has been halted since late 2008.



North Korea's top negotiator Kim Kye-gwan has visited China and Russia to drum up their support for resuming the six-way talks as soon as possible.



The communist country conducted its third nuclear test on Feb. 12, sparking a strong backlash from the international community and causing the United Nations Security Council to impose tougher sanctions against the country.



The outside world believes the North's satellite launch in December was a cover for the country's test of a ballistic missile it is now developing. (Yonhap News)