Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks Thursday on the sidelines of a joint ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Peru.

Seoul’s foreign ministry said Friday that the top diplomats exchanged opinions on issues such as bilateral ties, trilateral cooperation with Japan, and the dispatching of North Korean troops to Russia. 

In the meeting, Cho and Blinken both expressed concerns over the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, calling it illicit and a grave threat to the security of both the Indo-Pacific region and Europe.

The two sides agreed to cooperate closely in view of the possibility of Russia providing military assistance to the North in return for the troops. 

Highlighting that bipartisan support for the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains strong, Blinken said its major accomplishments will likely be smoothly handed over to the new U.S. administration.