South Korea's ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs has expressed hopes that relations between North Korea and China will develop in a way that contributes to peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Unification ministry deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong delivered the assessment on Friday in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping's summit in Beijing the previous day.

Chang said Seoul intends to closely watch relevant trends in cooperation with other ministries.

Observers have voiced concern about China's possible change of position regarding the North's nuclear program, as neither side mentioned efforts toward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula when announcing the summit outcome.

The issue was on the agenda during Kim and Xi's previous five meetings held between 2018 and 2019.