Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon says he will actively seek to persuade North Korea to make a strategic decision to seek a breakthrough in the next round of six-party nuclear talks.

Ban said in a report to the National Assembly Thursday that the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush had created a possibility that North Korea would respond to calls to return to the negotiating table.

Ban went on to say that Seoul is seeking diversified measures to swiftly resume the six-party talks with enhanced cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan as well as stronger ties with China and Russia.

The minister said President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush will meet on the sidelines of APEC summit talks later this month in Chile to discuss ways to strengthen the bilateral alliance and to solve North Korea's nuclear issue.

Prior to his parliamentary report, Ban led a meeting aimed at creating a blueprint of South Korea's future alliance with the United States. The minister also said the government is currently seeking ways to hold South Korea-U.S. high-level and working-level talks on the direction of the bilateral relations.