S. Korea, Russia hold talks in Moscow on N. Korean nuclear, security issues: sources

South Korea and Russia recently held closed-doors talks in Moscow on North Korea's nuclear program and other pressing regional security issues, diplomatic sources said Sunday. According to the sources, a South Korean foreign ministry official handling North Korean nuclear issues recently traveled to Moscow for meetings with Oleg Burmistrov, the Russian foreign ministry's ambassador-at-large for the North Korean nuclear issue, and other relevant officials. The South Korean official apparently asked Russia to play a constructive role in ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula, with Seoul looking to reopen dialogue with North Korea next year and efforts being made to end the war in Ukraine. Given Russia's close ties with North Korea, South Korea likely believes Moscow can play a decisive role in ensuring Pyongyang's return to dialogue. Except for the meeting between the two foreign ministers in September this year, the recent meeting was the first involving North Korean nuclear officials of Seoul and Moscow since October 2024, when their bilateral relations took a turn for the worse due to N