A high-ranking Russian official is expected to visit North Korea at the invitation of the North's leader Kim Jong-il

A Russian government spokesman on Wednesday said Konstantin Borisovich Pulikovsky, presidential plenipotentiary envoy to the Far East Federal District, will arrive in Pyongyang Sunday for a five-day visit.

He will attend an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of Korean liberation from Japanese colonial rule and deliver a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kim.

Pulikovsky and Kim are also expected to discuss Russian energy assistance to the North and the six-way nuclear talks that will reconvene late this month.