The head of South Korea's National Assembly embarked on a trip to Russia and Finland on Tuesday in an effort to enhance relations with the countries, his office said.

Chung Ui-hwa will attend a reception commemorating the 25th anniversary of South Korea-Russia diplomatic relations in Moscow on Wednesday and meet with Russia's parliamentary leaders, Sergey Yevgenyevich Naryshkin and Valentina Matviyenko.

Later, he is scheduled to give a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations on the topic of the future of South Korea-Russia relations. He will also address the 4th International Parliamentary Forum and speak to local experts on Korean issues.

On Friday, he will pay his respects to Yi Beom-jun, a South Korean independence fighter who committed suicide in Russia, at his grave in St. Petersburg.

Trade volume between South Korea and Russia reached an all-time high of $26 billion this year. The annual personnel exchange also grew 30 percent on-year to 300,000, official data showed.

In Finland, where he will arrive on Saturday for a two-day visit, he will meet Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and parliamentary speaker Maria Lohela to discuss ways to boost bilateral ties.

He will also meet with various committees within the Finnish parliament to share policy know-how. The Scandinavian country nearly halved its suicide rates between 1990 and 2012.

South Korea and Finland signed a social security agreement on Sept. 9. (Yonhap)