The foreign ministers of South and North Korea met Friday evening at an official welcome dinner for the ASEAN Regional Forum in Singapore.

At the gala dinner, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Northern counterpart Ri Yong-ho candidly discussed situations that have evolved since the inter-Korean summit and the U.S.-North Korea summit earlier this year.

During the conversation, Kang sounded out a possible bilateral meeting with her North Korean counterpart on the sidelines of the regional forum.

But the North Korean minister is known to have declined bilateral talks with Kang, saying that it's not the right time for such talks.

An official at Seoul's foreign ministry said a one-on-one between South and North Korean foreign ministers is unlikely to take place in Singapore.

It's still unclear whether Ri Yong-ho will sit down for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the ASEAN forum.

[Photo : YONHAP News]