South Korea's chief nuclear envoy will visit China this week after talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts on ways to deal with North Korea, the foreign ministry said Monday.

Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, plans to meet with China's top nuclear negotiator, Wu Dawei, in Beijing during his two-day trip there starting Thursday.

Hwang is scheduled to hold trilateral talks on Tuesday and Wednesday in Seoul with Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, and Junichi Ihara, director-general of the Japanese foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.

They all serve as their countries' top delegate to the now-suspended six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program.

In Beijing, Hwang will "have in-depth discussions on ways for substantive progress on the North Korean nuclear issue, including the resumption of denuclearization dialogue and deterrence against (the communist nation's) provocations," said the ministry.

The North has been increasingly hostile in recent weeks, apparently continuing to develop its nuclear and missile capabilities.

It recently announced a successful test-launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile and also claimed to now be able to put nuclear warheads onto missiles.

Raising concerns about uncertainty about leader Kim Jong-un's leadership, Pyongyang reportedly purged its defense minister, Hyon Yong-chol.

The U.S. envoy, Sung Kim, arrived here earlier Monday and the Japanese official, Ihara, plans to fly into Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)