Top nuke envoys of ROK, Japan discuss Korean Peninsula's nuke issue

SEOUL - Top nuclear envoys, who represent the Republic of Korea and Japan at the six-party talks for the denuclearized Korean Peninsula, met in Seoul Monday to discuss the peninsula's nuclear issue amid growing signs of a thaw in inter-Korean relations.

Lee Do-hoon, the ROK's special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, met with his Japanese counterpart Kenji Kanasugi, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

The two sides agreed to strengthen diplomatic efforts to turn a peace momentum, which was recently being created on the peninsula, into a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue.

Lee and Kanasugi made an in-depth discussion on ways to encourage the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to come to the dialogue table while stably managing situations on the peninsula.

The meeting came ahead of the high-level talks between the ROK and the DPRK slated to be held Tuesday in the truce village of Panmunjom.

The inter-Korean talks would first focus on the DPRK's participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics, which the ROK will host in February in the country's eastern county of Pyeongchang.