Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki-moon left for Manila Thursday to attend a two-day foreign ministers' meeting of the Forum for East Asia and Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

At the meeting, to convene on Friday and Saturday, Ban plans to give a briefing on South Korea's "peace and prosperity policy" for the Korean Peninsula and will try to muster support from member countries for a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis.

The meeting will also address common issues among the two regions, including various types of regional cooperation.

Before attending the meeting, Ban plans to meet Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, to discuss preparations for a second round of six-party talks dealing with Pyongyang's development of atomic weapons.

In Manila, the foreign minister is also to meet his Chilean counterpart, Soledad Alvear, to exchange views on a free trade agreement (FTA) between their two countries. Ratification of the FTA by South Korea's National Assembly has been delayed due to strong protests from the farming sector, which fears a flood of cheaper Chilean agricultural imports.

The Manila gathering will be attended by foreign ministers from all 30 FEALAC member countries, including Japan, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.