South Korea has reportedly held closed‑door talks with Russia to discuss North Korea-related issues, including the North's nuclear program.

According to a diplomatic source on Sunday, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official overseeing North Korea's nuclear affairs recently made an unannounced trip to Moscow to meet with Oleg Burmistrov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for North Korea's nuclear issue.

Aside from a bilateral foreign ministers' meeting in September, the talks marked the first contact between officials handling nuclear‑related matters since October of last year, when relations soured following North Korea's reported deployment of troops to Russia.

The discussions are believed to have included Seoul's request that Moscow play a constructive role in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as South Korea prepares to push for renewed inter‑Korean dialogue next year and as talks continue internationally on ending the war in Ukraine.

Analysts say the meeting likely reflects the view that Russia's role is an increasingly decisive factor in influencing Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table, given Moscow's growing closeness with North Korea.