The Russia defense chief, emerging from talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Young-Kil, also called for a US-North Korean dialogue to "find an exit" from the nuclear impasse.

"It is important for North Korea to allow International Atomatic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, in cooperation with other countries," Ivanov told a news conference after the defense talks.

He said North Korea has "a right to develop energy, including nuclear energy, just like other sovereign states" but needs to secure transparency by inviting IAEA inspectors back.

"It is possible to clarify for sure whether North Korea's ongoing nuclear program is for weapons or for energy," he said.

North Korea kicked out IAEA inspectors from its plutonium-producing nuclear power plant late December in an escalation of the nuclear stand-off.

The crisis erupted in October with the US disclosure of the North's uranium-enrichment program and has since deepened as Pyongyang withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in January.

Pyongyang wants direct talks with the United States and a non-aggression pact, but Washington has rejected the offer saying the crisis should be solved through multilateral channels after the North scraps its nuclear weapons drive.

Ivanov said whatever framework the talks would take, US-North Korean bilateral talks would be a key part of attempting to resolve the nuclear standoff.

"The United States and North Korea must talk in a bilateral or multilateral framework to find an exit from the nuclear crisis, cooperating with the United Nations and the IAEA," he said.

He added Russia "has intention to make efforts to avoid any military confrontations" over the regional crisis.

Ivanov, the third Russian defense chief to visit Seoul since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1990, arrived in Seoul late Wednesday and also met with South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun later Thursday.

"Russia maintains a reasonable stance on North Korea's nuclear issue. The South Korea-Russia ties will further improve if the nuclear issue is resolved," Roh was quoted as telling Ivanov.

Ivanov's visit followed a UN Security Council meeting in which Russia and China blocked a common statement on North Korea's nuclear program.

The United States has sought to bring UN pressure to bear on Pyongyang, but China and Russia argued that such a move would push the Stalinist country deeper into isolation.

Washington believes Pyongyang has one or two nuclear bombs and could make several more within six months if it continued on its present course.

SPACE.WIRE