Park to hold talks with Putin on bilateral issues, N. Korea's nukes

By Kim Kwang-tae PARIS, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye plans to meet with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in France in their second summit in two years, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of issues, including bilateral economic cooperation, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues, the presidential office said. North Korea's nuclear weapons program is also expected to be high on their agenda. Russia has been involved in the long-stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program in return for political concessions and economic aid. The nuclear talks -- which also involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China and Japan -- were last held in 2008. The summit will take place on the sidelines of the leaders' event of a crucial U.N. conference on climate change. The leaders' event is designed to build political momentum for negotiations on a new legally binding deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Putin visited South Korea for talks with Park in November 2013. The two leaders were seated next to each other during a massive military parade in China in September. The planned meeting is the latest in a string of summits Park has held with leaders of major regional powers in recent months. In October, Park met with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington and hosted the leaders of China and Japan for a trilateral summit in Seoul.