Moscow: South Korea's Ambassador to Russia, Lee Sok-bae, engaged in discussions with a Russian vice foreign minister to address a range of regional and international issues, as reported by Russia's foreign ministry. Lee held a meeting with Deputy Minister Sergei Ryabkov in Moscow, where they exchanged perspectives on pressing global and regional matters, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this meeting is significant as it is the first publicly acknowledged interaction between Lee and a Russian vice foreign minister since Lee commenced his second term as ambassador last month. The talks took place in the context of recent reports suggesting that a South Korean foreign ministry official, responsible for North Korean nuclear issues, had a meeting with Oleg Burmistrov, Russia's ambassador-at-large for North Korean nuclear issues, in Moscow.

However, the Russian ministry has denied these reports, stating that no consultations with Seoul were taking place.