Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (right) shakes hands with US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg ahead of their meeting at Seoul's foreign ministry building in Seoul on Tuesday in this photo provided by the ministry. (Yonhap)

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with the top US envoy to Seoul on Tuesday to discuss ways of boosting the bilateral alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan amid growing threats from North Korea.

In his talks with Ambassador Philip Goldberg, Cho stressed that the South Korea-US alliance has stepped up to an unprecedented level since the allies marked their 70th anniversary last year and proposed they continue to advance the alliance, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

Goldberg congratulated Cho for assuming his post, noting the "historical achievements" made between the allies, including the summit meeting among the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan at Camp David in August last year.

The two expressed deep regret over North Korea for its continued aggressive rhetoric and provocations while refusing to engage in dialogue.

They agreed on the need to urge China to play a "constructive role" in resolving the North Korean issue, and to strengthen their trilateral cooperation with Japan.

Cho and Goldberg also agreed to respond sternly against recent military cooperation between North Korea and Russia that they say threatens peace and stability in the region and beyond.

This marks Cho's first talks with the ambassadors based in Seoul since he assumed his post earlier this month. (Yonhap)