South Korea's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that an advance agreement on a joint statement should not be prerequisite to holding another round of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions.

Ban, speaking to reporters just before attending a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, said the government was making efforts in cooperation with the United States and other concerned countries to persuade Pyongyang to attend a fresh round of nuclear talks in February.

Hinting that Seoul and its allies are having difficulty in convincing Pyongyang to agree on a statement to be issued during the nuclear talks, Ban stated, "We should not make the joint statement a prerequisite for the next round of six-party talks.. although it may be good for us to have it."

The minister also said he was not sure if the multinational meeting could actually be held in February, despite Seoul's expressed hope.

Ban's remarks come weeks after comments made by his predecessor, Yoon Young-kwan, in late December last year that a new session of six-way talks could possibly be held without unanimous agreement on a joint statement.