North Korea Sends Top Diplomat to Russia

North Korea says it has sent its top diplomat to Russia, amid a flurry of attempts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The North's state Korean Central News Agency said in a one-sentence dispatch that Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun departed for Moscow. The article provided no further details.

Pak told Russia's Interfax news agency Friday that Pyongyang felt justified in building a nuclear defense to ward off threats from South Korea and the U.S., which he accused of conducting a policy of hostility and confrontation.

Russia is a member of the six nations attempting to bring a halt to North Korea's nuclear program. The six-party talks also include the two Koreas, China, Japan and the United States.