President Moon Jae-in held summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to discuss North Korea issues on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Han Jung-woo said that during the bilateral summit, Putin briefed Moon on his recent meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in April in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.

Putin reportedly told Moon that the North Korean leader made it clear that security assurance for North Korea is his key demand and measures to reciprocate denuclearization are necessary. 

The spokesperson said Putin also praised Moon's efforts for dialogue between the two Koreas and hailed and supported Seoul's recent decision to provide Pyongyang with humanitarian assistance.

In response, Moon said Russia's constructive role is making a significant contribution to the Korean Peninsula peace process and vowed to continue close communication and cooperation with Moscow.

Moon also expressed hope for cooperation with Russia and China to maintain the "positive momentum" from the exchanges of personal letters between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Moon-Putin meeting was scheduled to begin at 10:45 p.m. Friday but it opened at 12:36 a.m. Saturday due to a delay in Putin's one-on-one talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the same hotel.