South Korea has negatively assessed any move to revive the six-party talks as a way to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea. 

Asked about speculation the long-stalled multilateral talks could resume, a senior Foreign Ministry official told reporters on Thursday that the “top-down approach” is essential to the peace process for the Korean Peninsula. 

The top-down approach refers to the way denuclearization talks have been held recently with key decisions stemming from talks between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S.

The six-party talks, which haven't been held since late 2008, were a multilateral negotiation platform involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia. The talks were generally held among vice minister- or assistant minister-level officials. 

The possibility of the format's rejuvenation was raised ahead of the first North Korea-Russia summit in eight years in Vladivostok on Thursday. 

The South Korean official declined to comment when asked whether Russia had expressed an intent to resume the six-way talks. 

On Wednesday, Japanese broadcaster NHK quoted a high-ranking Moscow official as saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was considering proposing it to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their talks.