South Korea said Monday North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems to be sending a special envoy to Russia to counter international pressure over its nuclear program and human rights abuses.

“Our government views the dispatch of Choe Ryong-hae to Russia as in line with (Pyongyang’s) attempt to diversify its external relations,” unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing.

It looks like the North is pushing for aggressive diplomacy, as the international community’s cooperation deepens against North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and human rights record, he added.

He was cautious, however, about the specific purpose and expected results of Choe’s visit, which Seoul regards as “unusual.”

Lim was asked about Seoul’s assessment of reports that Choe, the Workers’ Party of Korea secretary, is embarking on an eight-day trip to Russia on Monday.

Choe is widely expected to meet with President Vladmir Putin, possibly laying the groundwork for a visit by Kim to Russia.

Announcing Choe’s trip last week, the North’s state media did not elaborate on its purpose.

Russia said later that three main issues would be discussed ― ways to make the Korean Peninsula nuclear free, security conditions in Northeast Asia and bilateral relations.

Experts here agree Choe’s visit comes as Pyongyang is apparently in desperate need of Moscow both diplomatically and economically.

This week, a U.N. committee plans to vote on a resolution against North Korea for its human rights conditions.

Co-sponsored by the European Union and more than 40 nations, it encourages the Security Council to refer Pyongyang to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Russia is a permanent member of the council with veto power.

A challenge for North Korea is that its relations with China are not as strong as before, with economic assistance reportedly being scaled down, according to Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute in Seoul.

China and South Korea struck a free trade deal last week and South Korean President Park Geun-hye proposed trilateral summit talks also involving Japan, he noted.

“If Choe Ryong-hae meets President Putin, key agenda items will likely include a visit by Kim Jong-un to Russia or trip by Putin to North Korea as well as ways to cooperate in the U.N. against pressure from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan over the human rights issue,” Cheong said.

Choe, who doubles as a member of the party’s central committee political bureau presidium, is one of the closest aides to Kim. He is known to be the second or third-most powerful leader in the communist regime after Kim.

Choe also plans to travel to the Russia Far East cities of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok before returning to Pyongyang next Monday, according to the Russian government. (Yonhap)