WASHINGTON -- South Korean and US officials in Washington have agreed to hold regular meetings to prepare for their leaders' summits with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, a senior government official said Tuesday.

The sessions will involve diplomats at the South Korean Embassy and the US State Department ahead of the inter-Korean summit on April 27 and the US-North Korea summit in May or June.

"It's important to have close consultations between South Korea and the US to ensure a successful inter-Korean summit and US-North Korea summit," the South Korean official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The agreement to hold periodic sessions came two weeks ago during a meeting between South Korean Ambassador to Washington Cho Yoon-je and Susan Thornton, acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asia.

An initial working-level meeting involving embassy and State Department officials took place last week, and Cho and Thornton are scheduled to meet again next week.

Embassy officials have also been meeting with White House officials to prepare for the summits. (Yonhap)