South Korea and Australia will hold foreign ministerial talks Thursday to discuss North Korea and broader regional security issues, officials said.
  

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for a three-day stay.
  

She plans to meet with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se for their eighth round of bilateral talks, according to a Foreign Ministry official here.
  

"They will focus consultations on the North Korean issue and security affairs in the Asia-Pacific region," he said. "Australia has shown keen interest in regional security. It especially has actively supported South Korea's position on the North Korea issue."
  

In the recent weeks, the communist nation has raised military tensions with a series of provocative acts and threats.
  

The North's National Defense Commission said Wednesday the country has made significant progress in its technology to mount nuclear bombs onto missiles.
  

Earlier this month, Pyongyang announced a successful test-launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine.
  

The Australian minister plans to attend a group meeting here on Friday with her South Korean, Mexican, Indonesian and Turkish counterparts.
  

The five middle-power countries formed the "MIKTA" cooperative in 2013 as part of efforts to expand their influence on global stage. (Yonhap)