Russia and South Korea are negotiating a military cooperation agreement on the maintenance of equipment supplied by Moscow to Seoul, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Tuesday.

Talks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Sang-Hee focused on an accord "on the repair of weapons" sent from Russia to Seoul, Serdyukov said, cited by Russian news agencies.

Following the Moscow talks, Sang-Hee declared himself in favour of increased military cooperation between the two countries to guarantee security on the Korean peninsula and across Southeast Asia.

"I hope this meeting marks a step forward in our relations," he said, cited by Russian news agencies.

Both ministers repeated their opposition to nuclear-armed North Korea, which launched a second nuclear test in May.