"Much notable preparation is still being made since the first round of six-party talks. We can readily assume the nuclear issue will head towards improvement after the second round of talks." Jeong said.

In response to questions as to how Pyeongyang's nuclear ambition will be handled, should nuclear tensions escalate and Washington harden its stance in the future, the minister said such policies will be drawn up when the time comes.

"At this point, I don't think we need to talk about policy issues based on the possibility of negative scenarios." Jeong said.

Nuclear tensions continued to tighten its grip on diplomatic affairs after the first round of six-nation discussions in August failed to produce a breakthrough.

When asked about future prospects for South and North Korea relations next year, Minister Jeong said it is still too early to make predictions. But he reassured that the Seoul government will, nevertheless, push ahead with cross-border projects.

Arirang TV