The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that former deputy nuclear negotiator Lim Sung-nam will succeed Wi Sung-lac, who was appointed the country’s ambassador to Russia.

It said the replacement is part of a routine personnel reshuffle and doesn’t signal any changes in South Korea’s policy on the six-party nuclear talks.

The talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan have been stalled since early 2009.

North Korea wants to resume the disarmament-for-aid talks immediately. But Seoul and Washington say North Korea must first abide by commitments it made in earlier rounds of the talks.