Suh Hoon, the newly appointed top security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, had a phone conversation Wednesday with his Japanese counterpart on relations between the two sides and regional security, Cheong Wa Dae said.

Shigeru Kitamura, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's national security adviser, made a call to Suh, director of national security at the presidential office, for a congratulatory message on his inauguration.

Suh began work earlier this week, having served as chief of the National Intelligence Service.

In their 25-minute talks, the two sides "exchanged opinions on pending issues between the two nations and regional security, including the Korean Peninsula situations," Cheong Wa Dae said. It gave no further details in a two-paragraph press release. (Yonhap)