MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - South Korea's economics minister along with oil and gas executives will visit Russia in August to discuss the possibility of laying a gas pipeline across North Korea, the Maeil business daily said on Thursday.
During his visit, Lee Youn-Ho will meet with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko. The talks will involve the heads of the Korea Gas Corporation and Korea National Oil Corporation.
The countries hope to be able to pump natural gas from Yakutia in the Russian Far East to South Korea directly via the North. However, all economic projects between the two Koreas are currently frozen.
According to information from the South Korean government, Russia is set to supply 750 metric tons of natural gas annually to South Korea for 30 years, to meet about 20% of the country's gas demand.
The talks in Moscow are also expected to focus on an action plan for the joint development of oil and gas deposits, and also the development of offshore deposits to the west of Kamchatka in the Russian Far East, the paper said.
