This photo, taken on Dec. 21, 2020, shows South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, walking into the foreign ministry in Seoul. (Yonhap)South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, asked Tuesday for Russia to play a role in advancing Seoul's renewed drive to lay the groundwork for a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Foreign Ministry said.

Noh made the call during his meeting with Russian Ambassador to South Korea Andrey Kulik, as Seoul seeks to enlist international cooperation in resuming dialogue with North Korea and restart nuclear diplomacy with it.

"Noh assessed Russia's will to play a constructive role on the Korean Peninsula issues, and asked for Russia's role in advancing the Korean Peninsula peace process," the ministry said in a press release.

Kulik voiced hope for continued cooperation with Seoul on Korean Peninsula issues, the ministry said.

Since his appointment in December, Noh has held a series of online and offline talks with his foreign counterparts and other diplomats to ask for their support for Seoul's stepped-up efforts to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue and move forward its stalled peace agenda.

Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since the summit between former US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in February 2019 ended without a deal due to gaps over the scope and sequencing of the North's denuclearization and the US' sanctions relief. (Yonhap)