South Korea’s Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong said on Sunday that the U.S. had informed Seoul of the recent arms transfer between North Korea and Russia before the White House released the details last Friday.

The top envoy made the remarks during a parliamentary audit held at the South Korean Embassy in Washington when asked if the government had exchanged information with the U.S. regarding the arms transfers.

The White House said on Friday that North Korea delivered more than one-thousand containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia last month for use in Ukraine.

Ambassador Cho said that intelligence authorities from South Korea and the U.S. have been in close consultation regarding arms deals between Pyongyang and Moscow, adding that communication is under way regarding the recent claims by the White House as well.

When asked about the possible provision of military assistance to the North in exchange for the arms shipment, Cho said that South Korea expects Russia to act prudently as a major power regarding the transfer of advanced military technology, but the actualization of such a move would require a serious decision from Seoul.

On the general public sentiment and interest in U.S. society regarding the issue of the North’s denuclearization, the ambassador said that he feels discussions in Washington regarding the need for dialogue to resolve the nuclear issue have gradually decreased compared to the past.

He went on to say that it is difficult to precisely calculate the disposition to the possibility of North Korea's denuclearization, but there is an assessment that is gradually becoming  increasingly challenging.