North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong will attend a regional meeting of foreign ministers in Malaysia next week, a Malaysian foreign ministry official said Wednesday.
North Korea has informed Malaysia of Ri's attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum to be held in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 6, the official told Yonhap News Agency by phone, requesting anonymity.
Whether Ri would attend the forum has been the focus of attention as it could set the stage for a meeting between the two Koreas' top diplomats.
Ri will be accompanied by Kim Chang-min, director-general of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's Bureau of International Organizations, the official added.
South Korea has not formally proposed talks with the North in Malaysia, but it has always been open to dialogue with its communist neighbor, officials here have said.
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is scheduled to visit the Malaysian capital from Aug. 4-6 to attend a series of ASEAN-related meetings, including the ARF.
Last year, Yun and Ri briefly met each other on the sidelines of the ARF meeting in Myanmar, but they did not hold talks.