The Unification Ministry said on Tuesday that its senior official met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for North Korea Alex Wong to discuss issues related to the North, including inter-Korean cooperation and sanctions on the regime. 

According to the South Korean ministry, the ministry's unification policy office chief Choi Young-joon sat down with Wong for closed-door talks.

The ministry noted that the two sides exchanged their opinions on the situation regarding the Korean Peninsula and agreed to continue to closely cooperate for denuclearization and lasting peace in the region. 

Seoul also explained its follow-up measures to President Moon Jae-in’s New-Year speech in which the South Korean leader outlined plans to deepen inter-Korean cooperation as a way of facilitating the stalled talks between the U.S. and the North. 

It is speculated that the ministry stressed that its plan to allow individual tours to the North’s Mount Geumgang by South Koreans will not breach international sanctions on the North and sought Washington's support for these initiatives. 

Washington reportedly expressed its will to implement the agreements reached during the first U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore in 2018 and emphasized diplomatic solutions in engaging Pyongyang.