South Korea was expecting substantial progress in the upcoming six-party talks, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The South Korean government hailed the move to stage the discussions in Beijing on Dec. 18, and highly commended the efforts by related parties to bring about the resumption of the talks, said a statement by the ministry.

The meeting will be the second phase of the Fifth Round of the talks.

The South Korean government expected substantial progress at the meeting and would continue to closely cooperate with all those involved, said the statement.

The statement came after the announcement of the resumption of the talks by the Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier in the day.

The last session of the six-party talks, grouping China, North Korea, South Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan, was held in Beijing in November 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2006)