South Korean foreign minister Yoon Young Kwan says nothing has been decided yet concerning a U.S. request for more South Korean troops to be sent to Iraq.

During a regular news briefing Wednesday, Yoon said at this point, the government has made no decision on the matter.

Yoon added that President Roh Moo-hyun will make the final decision at the most appropriate time after closely studying UN Security Council actions along with a report he'll receive from the Korean investigation team to Iraq when they return here on Friday.

Meanwhile, the South Korean foreign minister urged Pyongyang Wednesday to respond positively to U.S. efforts to resolve the standoff over the communist state's nuclear weapons program.

Yoon said that the United States is studying ways to address North Korea's security concerns, adding that he hoped North Korea would take corresponding steps.

The South Korean foreign minister said he does not view a series of recent negative comments from North Korea concerning multi-lateral nuclear dialogue as meaning Pyongyang would not agree to participate in a second round of talks.