Youn Jong-kwon (fifth from left), director-general for nuclear nonproliferation and diplomatic planning at the foreign ministry, poses for a photo with his Japanese counterpart, Katsuro Kitagawa (sixth from right), prior to their talks at the Japanese foreign ministry on Feb. 16, 2024, in this photo provided by the South Korean foreign ministry. (Yonhap)

South Korea and Japan held disarmament and nonproliferation consultations to discuss ways to address growing military threats from North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.

Youn Jong-kwon, director-general for nuclear nonproliferation and diplomatic planning at the ministry, met with his Japanese counterpart, Katsuro Kitagawa, in Tokyo, the ministry said.

The two sides shared concerns about North Korea's increasingly advanced nuclear and missile threats and illegal arms trade in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and agreed to continue working together at various multilateral levels, including the United Nations. (Yonhap)