South Korea and the European Union agreed to keep pressure on the North Korean regime to force it to abandon its nuclear weapons program, officials said Wednesday.

The consensus came during a meeting between Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, and Alain Le Roy, secretary-general of the European External Action Service, at the EU headquarters on Tuesday, according to South Korean diplomats here.

North Korea has come under growing pressure from the international community following its fourth nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch in February.

Last month the EU slapped additional sanctions on Pyongyang, in addition to those already imposed by the U.N. Security Council in March. The EU's unilateral sanctions expand the list of goods banned from being shipped to the North and tighten financial service regulations against the reclusive country.

The new sanctions are thought to have sent a strong message to Pyongyang, Kim was quoted as telling Le Roy during their meeting.

Le Roy said EU member states have been faithfully implementing all sanctions against the North and hope to do more to resolve the issue of North Korea's nuclear program. (Yonhap)