Updated

Cambodia's foreign minister will urge North Korean leaders to resume six-party talks on nuclear disarmament during a rare official visit this week.

Hor Namhong told reporters before leaving for a four-day visit Sunday that Cambodia has always supported the talks that Pyongyang halted in 2009. His spokesman said last month the minister would press North Korea to restart the negotiations.

The visit comes ahead of a regional conference next month in Cambodia that North Korean officials are scheduled to attend.

North Korea's late leader Kim Il Sung was close with Cambodia's former King Norodom Sihanouk, providing him with a residence in Pyongyang and security guards after the king returned from exile in 1991.