First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun departed for the United States on Sunday for talks with his United States and Japanese counterparts.

According to Seoul's foreign ministry, Choi Jong-kun plans to meet U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Monday.

The two are expected to discuss Seoul's proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War and restart the Korean Peninsula peace process, as well as other issues.

The vice minister will hold a trilateral meeting with Sherman and Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo on Wednesday. The three-way talks are expected to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japan's new Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi held telephone talks on Saturday and reaffirmed close cooperation between the United States and Japan and among United States, South Korea and Japan.

Vice Minister Choi will also hold bilateral talks with Takeo during his stay until Saturday to discuss pending issues between the two nations.