A senior Defense Ministry official say South Korea is weighing the possibility of holding six-nation defense talks as part of developing multilateral security cooperation in Northeast Asia.

The official said Saturday, on condition of anonymity, that an internal review is underway to see if discussions involving the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan could be held.

He said the purpose of the envisioned talks would be to seek multilateral security cooperation, including confidence building, but said they would have no direct relation to the dispute over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung is scheduled to hold discussions with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Ivanov, in May in Moscow. However, it remains unclear whether Seoul's initiative would be on the table.

The six countries, involved in separate talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, have failed to produce any meaningful progress in ending the 27-month standoff in three previous rounds of discussion.

Unlike Europe, there is no collective security mechanism in Northeast Asia.