Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun will fly to Kuala Lumpur this week for preparatory meetings ahead of key annual talks with Southeast Asian countries, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
  

Kim will participate in the two-day senior officials' meetings starting Tuesday in Malaysia, the chair of this year's ASEAN meetings.
  

Those include the ASEAN-plus-three talks involving South Korea, China and Japan, as well as the larger East Asia Summit and the U.S., Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand.
  

Top diplomats from the ASEAN and 17 other countries will hold a separate meeting, called the ASEAN Regional Forum.
  

"In the SOMs this time, discussions are planned on agenda items and preparations for the foreign ministers' meeting in August and summits in November," the ministry said in a press release.
  

The members of the ASEAN-plus-three summit, launched in 1997, have formed cooperation channels in more than 20 sectors, including finance, economy, education and health care.
  

Leaders joining the EAS will discuss ways to strengthen the group, which marks the 10th anniversary of its birth this year.
  

In the ARF, foreign ministers will likely focus on North Korea, the South China Sea and other regional security issues. (Yonhap)