A Hong Kong daily says North Korea's denuclearization and South Korea's position amid escalating Sino-U.S. tensions will likely top the agenda when the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. meet for their first summit on Friday.

The South China Morning Post(SCMP) reported on Thursday that the summit at the White House comes after the completion of a U.S. policy review on resolving the North's nuclear issue through practical diplomatic steps.

In his first address to a joint session of Congress last month, U.S. President Joe Biden said he would work with allies to address threats from North Korea and Iran through "diplomacy" and "stern deterrence."

Speaking to Seoul's Yonhap News Agency, Kurt Campbell, Biden's Asia coordinator, said efforts will build on past agreements, including the 2018 Singapore denuclearization deal between the leaders of the U.S. and the North.

South Korea's membership to the U.S.-led Quad, involving Japan, Australia and India, which many view as an anti-China security framework, is speculated to be discussed during Friday's summit.

Kathleen Stephens, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, said there was some "surprise and discomfort" in Seoul as Biden seemingly "doubles down" on the Quad approach taken by the previous Donald Trump administration.