Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan left Monday on a two-nation Southeast Asian trip that will include talks with his Asian and European counterparts on tensions over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Officials said Yoon is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia later in the day for a two-day official visit to discuss the nuclear issue and ways to promote bilateral ties between Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.

The minister will then head for the Indonesian resort island of Bali for a meeting with his counterparts from countries belonging to the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), an intercontinental forum comprising 25 nations.

During their meetings Wednesday and Thursday, the ASEM foreign ministers are expected to discuss the nuclear impasse, but it is unclear if the meeting will produce a separate statement on the issue.