A senior government official says this week’s six-way nuclear talks will focus on blocking any additional production of plutonium by North Korea.

The official said Wednesday that such efforts will be a key part of the initial steps the North will be urged to take towards nuclear dismantlement.

The official added that the most definite way to block the production of nuclear materials is to close down all nuclear facilities, citing that plutonium is continuously produced once a reactor begins operating.

Top negotiators from the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia will begin discussions quickly in Beijing Thursday without a separate ceremony to mark the opening of the nuclear talks.

The nation’s chief delegate to the talks, Chun Yung-woo, will leave for Beijing on Wednesday.