S.Korean Envoy Meets N.Korean Head of State in Moscow

Saenuri Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun met North Korea's perennial titular head of state Kim Yong-nam in Moscow on Saturday.

Yoon, who represents President Park Geun-hye to the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Soviet Union's victory in World War II, said that he gave Kim a message of willingness to improve inter-Korean relations.

The Foreign Ministry here on Sunday said it was a brief encounter, so the two were unable to have a deep conversation.

Kim and Yoon met immediately after a massive military parade in Red Square.

"When envoys from around the world walked towards Alexander Garden to lay flowers, Yoon approached Kim, introduced himself as a special envoy from Seoul, gave him his business card, and started the conversation," a ministry official said. "As it took about five minutes to get to Alexander Garden, it was a brief conversation."

The incident suggests that both sides are now more willing to work on improving bilateral relations as the 70th anniversary of independence from Japanese rule approaches.