The top diplomats of South Korea and the U.S. will hold talks in Washington on Friday.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said Tuesday that minister Park Jin will meet with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken on February 3 as Park embarks on a four-day trip to New York and Washington from Wednesday.

Lim said the two officials will mark the 70th anniversary of bilateral alliance and discuss ways to strengthen the comprehensive strategic alliance and also coordinate policy measures on North Korea.

Speaking to reporters, another foreign ministry official said that North Korea is the top priority in South Korea-U.S. cooperation and that Seoul seeks to bolster that cooperation through various efforts including drawing support for Seoul's Indo-Pacific strategy, unveiled last year.

Before arriving in Washington, minister Park will visit New York and attend a meeting with ambassadors of UN Security Council member countries to ask for their united support in responding sternly to North Korea's provocations.  

Park will also meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss Korean Peninsula and global affairs.