President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday said he had a "meaningful" meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that could help Seoul and Tokyo resume dialogue amid a bilateral row over trade and colonial-era issues.

Wrapping up a three-day visit to Bangkok to attend annual regional forums, Moon referred to his eleven-minute conversation with Abe on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three summit a day before on social media.

Seoul's presidential office said after the meeting -- the leaders' first in 13 months -- the two reaffirmed that two-way ties are important and that pending bilateral issues should be resolved through dialogue.

While Seoul described the talks as both serious and friendly, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday that Abe delivered Tokyo's "principled position" on colonial-era issues.

Japan argues all colonial-era reparation issues were resolved through the 1965 bilateral treaty that normalized Seoul-Tokyo relations.

Regarding Moon's proposal to hold higher-level consultations seeking to improve relations, Suga said Abe responded by saying the two sides should explore a resolution through their foreign ministries.