South Korea and China held high-level phone talks Thursday, during which the two sides discussed bilateral ties and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, the presidential office said.

South Korea's National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han and Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat, exchanged opinions on the bilateral relations under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which took office last month.

They positively reviewed the brisk consultations at the high-level and agreed to expand "substantive cooperation" between the two nations, the presidential office said.

Kim said North Korea's nuclear and missile program poses a risk to regional peace and stability, and called on China to play "an active, constructive role" in persuading Pyongyang to refrain from further provocations and return to dialogue, according to the office.

In response, Yang expressed concerns about the growing uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula and affirmed China's role in promoting inter-Korean relations to reach a diplomatic solution to that end, it added.

The two also agreed to meet in person at a mutually convenient time and place to deepen and widen the bilateral relations.

Their phone talks came amid concerns over North Korea's preparation for its seventh nuclear test and uncertainties over the Seoul-Beijing ties, as the conservative Yoon administration has made clear it will place top diplomatic policy priority on bolstering the alliance with the United States. (Yonhap)