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S.Korean president's visit to Russia in May yet to be decided: Presidential office

Xinhua, January 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

South Korea's presidential office said Thursday that no decision has been made yet on whether President Park Geun-hye would visit Russia in May to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War .

Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters that Park' s May schedules have not been fixed and Park has competing schedules, saying that whether to attend the ceremony will be decided under such situations.

His comments came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the country received a "positive initial signal" from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) about its leader Kim Jong Un's visit to Moscow.

Russia marks the Soviet's World War victory every year on May 9, inviting world leaders and holding festivities that include a massive parade on Red Square.

President Park has been also invited to the anniversary celebrations, boosting expectations that leaders of the two Koreas may meet in Moscow.

Park said in her New Year's press conference on Jan. 12 that she can hold talks with Kim "without preconditions" to reduce the pain of division and for peaceful reunification. When she was a lawmaker, Park visited Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong Il, late DPRK leader and father of Kim Jong Un, in 2002.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un said in his New Year's speech on Jan. 1 that there is "no reason not to hold the highest-level talks" with Park if the atmosphere and conditions are met.

Kim has visited no foreign country since he took power in 2011. The traditional three-year mourning period for his father ended in December 2014. Endi