China Says North Korea Talks To Resume Soon

China's Foreign Ministry says six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear program will resume on February 8 in Beijing.

The last round of six-way talks aimed at persuading North Korea to halt its nuclear program ended in December without agreement. The talks bring together North Korea, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia, and China.

U.S. and North Korean delegates are meeting in Beijing today to discuss U.S. financial sanctions against Pyongyang, which North Korea insists on resolving before it addresses the nuclear issue.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said South Korea's top negotiator, Chun Young-Woo, will visit Moscow on January 31-February 1 to discuss the next round of the six-country talks.

Russia's top negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Losyukov, said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the upcoming talks.

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