Nuclear envoys of two Koreas likely to meet in Beijing next week

(ATTN: UPDATES first para to include possible date; ADDS details in fourth para) SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- The chief nuclear negotiators of South and North Korea are likely to meet in Beijing next week, possibly on Wednesday, a senior official in Seoul said Friday, amid a flurry of diplomacy to resume the broader negotiations on ending the North's nuclear weapons programs. Wi Sung-lac of South Korea and Ri Yong-ho of North Korea met in Indonesia for the first time in more than two years in late July, setting the tone for renewed diplomatic efforts to reopen the stalled six-party talks, which also involve the U.S., China, Japan and Russia. "At this stage, high-level officials of South and North Korea are exploring the possibility of holding talks" in Beijing, the official said on the condition of anonymity. The official said the second round of talks between Wi and Ri is expected to take place on Wednesday and the Foreign Ministry will soon make an announcement on the upcoming talks. Since the rare inter-Korean talks between Wi and Ri, Seoul and Washington have engaged in preliminary discussions with Pyongyang to gauge the possibility of restarting the six-party talks. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, during a rare summit on Aug. 24 with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, reportedly pledged to consider issuing a moratorium on nuclear testing and missile launches if the six-party talks resume. South Korea and the U.S., however, have reacted coldly to the North's latest gesture, urging Pyongyang to announce such a moratorium and address concerns about its uranium enrichment program before the multilateral negotiations begin. The North's uranium program is among the key hurdles to the resumption of the six-party dialogue, which has been stalled since late 2008.