Upon his arrival in Beijing, Minister Kang reportedly met with a number of Chinese officials including Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei to discuss the resumption of six-party nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

During his meeting, Kang reportedly reiterated North Korea's stance, urging Washington to give up its hostile policy toward Pyongyang while guaranteeing bilateral talks between the North and the U.S. and asked China to play a mediating role to persuade Washington.

Reports indicate China encouraged North Korea to return to multilateral dialogues as soon as possible while conveying Washington's stance on the six-party talks. The United States has been calling on North Korea to return to the talks, without any preconditions.

China also said it is necessary to resolve the nuclear issue through the six-nation dialogue framework in order for Pyongyang to receive economic and other benefits from the international community.

The two sides have also reportedly discussed their plans over Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to North Korea, which is expected to be made on condition of the North's agreement to return to the dialogue table.

Arirang TV