The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan have agreed on the need for an early resolution of the issue of Korean victims of Tokyo's wartime forced labor.

According to Seoul's foreign ministry, foreign minister Park Jin and his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, held talks in Tokyo and shared the view that a prompt resolution of the issue is necessary.

The ministry said the top diplomats discussed issues of mutual concern and pending issues between the two nations.

It marks the first visit to Japan by South Korea's top diplomat for bilateral talks with the Japanese foreign minister in four years and seven months.

In the Monday meeting, minister Park said the Seoul government would make an effort to produce a desirable solution to the issue before the liquidation of Japanese firms' assets in South Korea.

In 2018, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered Japanese companies found guilty of exploiting forced labor during World War Two to compensate surviving Korean victims.

The companies, however, refused to pay and the victims are in the middle of a legal process seeking to liquidate the firms' assets in Korea, with the top court's ruling expected this fall.

Meanwhile, the top diplomats shared their assessments of the recent state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to sternly deal with provocation by North Korea, while keeping the door for dialogue and diplomacy open.