UPDATE: South Korea in Moscow for nuclear talks

The visit to Moscow that started Thursday comes after the recent meeting between the  U.S. and North Korea in Geneva over potentially resuming the six-nation talks. Washington's chief envoy Stephen Bosworth said the two-day talks between North Korea and the United States were "very positive." No agreement to restart the six-nation negotiations were made from the Geneva meeting, according to the report.

North Korean officials will not being participating in the Moscow meeting, Lukashevich said.

Washington and Seoul have openly stated Pyongyang must first stop its uranium enrichment program and allow U.N. nuclear inspectors to return before talks can resume, but the North wants unconditional resumption.

North Korea deserted the six-nation talks, which involve the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea, in April 2009 and performed a second nuclear test the month after.

Nuclear envoys from North and South Korea met to see if the six-nation talks could resume in Beijing last month, but the outcome of the meeting was unclear.

Most experts doubt North Korea would ever halt its development in nuclear weapons and that a major reason the government has wished to resume talks is to have sanctions lifted from its economic aid.