North Korea and the United States have agreed to extend high-level bilateral talks for a second day after both sides agreed their first meeting was held in earnest.

The North’s delegation led by First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-kwan and the U.S. delegation headed by Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies held a closed-door meeting at the North Korean embassy in Beijing on Thursday and discussed the North’s nuclear issue.

The two sides also reportedly exchanged opinions on the North’s preliminary measures for denuclearization and America’s provision of food aid to the North.

Davies told reporters after Thursday's meeting that the two sides had serious talks and agreed to extend the dialogue by another day to make headway on fundamental issues.

Kim said the fact that the two sides engaged in the talks in an earnest manner was positive. He did not comment on whether the U.S. and North Korea had reached any agreement, saying the negotiations are still under way.