S. Korea's chief negotiator leaves for Japan to discuss Korean Peninsula nuke issue

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's top nuclear negotiator for the six-party talks left for Japan Thursday to discuss the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Lee Do-hoon, special envoy for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs who represents South Korea in the suspended six-way nuclear disarmament talks, made a two-day trip to Japan to meet with his Japanese counterpart Kenji Kanasugi.

It was the follow-up meeting of South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's talks in Tokyo Tuesday with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, the foreign ministry said.

The chief negotiators of South Korea and Japan for the six-party talks would share assessment on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile program following the DPRK's test-launch in late November of what it called Hwasong-15, a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Lee and Kanasugi will also discuss measures to manage security situations on the Korean Peninsula and prod Pyongyang to return to a meaningful dialogue table, according to the South Korean ministry.

The six-party talks for the denuclearized Korean Peninsula, which involve South Korea, the DPRK, China, the United States, Russia and Japan, have been halted since late 2008. Enditem