North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui departed for Russia Monday morning.

The Russian Embassy in North Korea said that Russia's ambassador to the North, Alexander Matzegora, saw Choe off at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport as she boarded a plane for Moscow. The embassy,  however, did not reveal details regarding her visit.
 
Japan's Kyodo News earlier reported on Choe's trip, raising the possibility that the high-ranking diplomat may discuss with Russian officials the North's stalled denuclearization talks with the United States.

This comes after Washington and Pyongyang failed to break the impasse during working-level negotiations in Sweden last month.

Moscow, which hosted a nuclear nonproliferation conference this month with officials from Washington and Pyongyang in attendance, may have a role to play in mediating between the two sides in order to bring them both back to the negotiating table.