A new round of six-party talks on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula will be held in Beijing on June 23-26, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea (ROK) announced Tuesday. 

The meeting will come after a two-day working-level session from June 21, said Yoo Eyu-sang, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry's task force on the nuclear issue.

"As working-level officials, we are neither pessimistic nor optimistic about the talks' prospect. We will just work hard in the negotiations to help the talks make progress," he said.

He said the working-group discussions will set the topics for the main talks.

Yoo said that the ROK delegation would be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck. He did not have information on chief delegates from other countries, he added.

Next week's meeting will be the third between the six countries: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the ROK, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. 

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2004)