The government on Tuesday welcomed North Korea's decision to rejoin the six-party nuclear talks.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that Seoul expects the six-party negotiations to resume soon so that participating countries can agree on ways to implement the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement for a nuclear-free Korea Peninsula.

The spokesman added that Seoul will concentrate its diplomatic efforts on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and securing peace and security on the Korean Peninsula through close consultations with six-party talks dialogue partners.