The South Korean delegation, headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, arrived in Beijing Tuesday for the second phase of the fourth-round six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

"If parties concerned do not soften their stances, it will be hard to achieve progress, " Song told reporters at the Beijing Capital International Airport upon his arrival.

"As far as the prospect is concerned, I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic," Song said.

The South Korea head arrived in Beijing on the same plane with the chief US negotiator Christopher Hill.

Hill visited Seoul on Monday on his way to the six-party talks in Beijing, meeting with the South Korea Unification Minister Chung Dong-young.

The Russian delegation arrived in Beijing Monday and the North Korean delegation has arrived in Beijing earlier Tuesday morning. Japanese delegation is expected to arrive here later the same day.

The first phase of the fourth round of the six-party talks started on July 26 and recessed on Aug. 7.

North Korea announced on August 29 that it would postpone the second phase of the talks originally scheduled for the same day to mid-September, citing the war game between US and South Korea and the US appointment of a special envoy for the human rights issue in North Korea.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2005)