Diplomats from countries involved in the stalled Six-Party Talks on the Korean nuclear issue are expected to convene at a gathering in Beijing this week.
Experts said that although it is not clear if the six nations will have in-depth contacts or consultations during the meeting, the gathering gives hope for a resumption of the talks.
The diplomats will meet at a forum on Northeast Asian security.
The Six-Party Talks between China, the United States, Japan, Russia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea stalled in 2008.
Beijing hosted two international seminars on the talks in 2013 and last year, but not all the six countries sent key officials to attend.
Choe Son-hui, deputy director-general of the DPRK Foreign Ministry's US Affairs Bureau, arrived in Beijing on Monday, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying confirmed that key diplomats from all six countries, including Choe and China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs Wu Dawei, will attend the 26th Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue on Wednesday and Thursday.
