South Korea's top diplomat embarked upon a three-day trip to Central Asia on Monday to deepen bilateral ties with countries in the region, the foreign ministry said.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has left for Kazakhstan on the first leg of her trip, which will also take her to Uzbekistan later, according to her ministry. She is to meet with the Kazak and Uzbek foreign ministers on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
They are expected to discuss ways to deepen their future-oriented and mutually beneficial relations while exchanging views on current situations surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
(Yonhap)
The ministry said Kazakhstan is serving as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council and that the two central Asian countries have supported South Korea on issues related to the peninsula.
The trip comes as South Korea plans to hold a summit with North Korea on April 27 to discuss denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula. The meeting is expected to be followed by summit talks between the United States and North Korea, which will likely take place either in late May or early June.(Yonhap)