SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik headed to the United States Wednesday to meet U.S. officials and members of Congress over the allies' joint stance on North Korea and other issues.

During his six-day visit to Washington and New York, Yu plans to exchange views on inter-Korean relations and Korean Peninsula issues, as well as explain his vision for North Korea policy, his ministry said.

Yu took office last month on a pledge to exercise flexibility toward the South's provocative northern neighbor, signaling a shift from the tense inter-Korean relations that followed the North's two apparent attacks against South Korea last year.

As Seoul's point man on Pyongyang, he plans to meet with a wide range of people, including Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns; Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, according to the ministry.

Yu's visit comes shortly after the U.S. and North Korea completed two rounds of high-level talks on ways to resume the stalled six-party talks on ending the North's nuclear weapons programs. No major breakthroughs were reported, but Yu's visit is widely expected to spur further coordination between Seoul and Washington on their joint approach to Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

On Saturday, Yu will also meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss humanitarian and other issues related to North Korea and the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said.