Senior officials of the United States and South Korea in charge of North Korean issues have held talks in Seoul over ways to respond to Pyongyang's accelerating nuclear and missile development.

Kim Gunn, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, met with Sung Kim, US special representative for North Korea, on Thursday.

South Korea's foreign ministry says the two envoys confirmed the need to strongly urge the international community to be vigilant against cyberattacks by North Korea, through which it is reportedly stealing cryptocurrency assets to fund its nuclear and missile programs.

The ministry also says the two agreed to strengthen cooperation with the international community to prod Pyongyang to immediately end its military provocations and enter talks for denuclearization. They said that will be done through close coordination between their countries and with Japan.

The director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's foreign ministry, Funakoshi Takehiro, exchanged views with Kim Gunn later on Thursday.

The three officials will also sit down together on Friday. They are expected to confirm their countries' close cooperation in dealing with Pyongyang.