South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will depart for China on Friday for talks with his Chinese counterpart. 

Chung is set to head to Xiamen in China's southeastern Fujian Province at 1 p.m. on a flight from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam.

The top diplomat will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday for a luncheon and talks to discuss pending issues between the two nations and other matters of mutual interest. 

The talks are likely to include the Korean Peninsula situation and North Korea's nuclear weapons as key issues. 

Minister Chung is expected to ask China to play a role in efforts to build peace on the peninsula, as a swift resumption of denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea is unlikely after the North's recent short-range ballistic missile launches.