BEIJING - Six-nation talks aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear program have begun, a South Korean official has said, just over two months after Pyongyang conducted its first atomic test.

Top envoys join hands in Beijing before a dinner on the eve of the resumption of Six-Party talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear program. The talks, which involve the two Koreas, host China, the United States, Japan and Russia, started in 2003 in an effort to stop the DPRK acquiring nuclear weapons. From left to right are: South Korea's Chung Yung-Woo; Japan's Kenichiro Sasae; USA's Christopher Hill; China's Wu Dawei; North Korea's Kim Kye-Gwan; and Russia's Sergey Razov. [AFP]

The envoys from the six nations involved -- host China, the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia -- met at 9.30 am (0130 GMT) on Monday to lay out the framework for the discussions, the official said.

"The six-way contacts between the chief delegates started as scheduled," the official, a member of the South Korean delegation who was at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where the meetings were being held, told AFP by phone.

An opening ceremony is due at 10:50 am (0250 GMT), after which the envoys will gather for multilateral and bilateral meetings.

No time frame has officially been set for the talks, although some of the envoys involved have indicated they could be over this week.

The talks are being held for the first time since North Korea conducted its nuclear test on October 9, and following a 13-month suspension of the forum due to anger in Pyongyang over US financial sanctions imposed against it.