South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia have kicked off the second round of talks in Beijing to seek a solution to the North Korean nuclear standoff.

Delegates of the six nations attended an opening ceremony on Wednesday at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse. After the opening ceremony, the chief delegates will deliver key-note speeches during a two-hour session. This will be followed by informal bilateral and working-level contacts for around four hours.

Multilateral and bilateral talks between the six parties will continue into the second day of discussions on Thursday.

Unlike the first round of talks held in August, this week