First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun spoke by phone with new US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Friday and discussed bilateral issues, including the upcoming summit between the two countries, the foreign ministry said.

Their first phone talks came after the US Senate approved her nomination Tuesday (US time) as the country's No. 2 diplomat. Sherman is known here for her key role as the policy coordinator for North Korea under the Bill Clinton administration from 1999-2001.

During the talks, Choi and Sherman agreed to work together for a successful summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden, scheduled for the second half of May. They also reaffirmed efforts for close coordination so as to further develop the Korea-US alliance, the ministry said.

The two also agreed to hold in-person talks at an early date, the ministry said. (Yonhap)