South Korea, the United States and Japan are in talks about holding a trilateral summit in New York later this month when their leaders gather for the UN General Assembly, a presidential official said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, a Japanese newspaper reported that fine-tuning is under way to set up a meeting among President Moon Jae-in, US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the UN session.

Asked to confirm the report, an official at Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said that the three countries are discussing holding a three-way summit. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and gave no further details. 
 

North Korea is expected to top the agenda for the meeting, as it comes after North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test and the UN Security Council adopted a new package of sanctions to punish the communist nation.

The presidential official also said that South Korea and the US have discussed the possibility of Trump making his first visit to the South when he travels to China in November.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and media reports have said that Trump is planning on visiting China in November as part of his first trip to Asia, which will also include a series of regional summits, including one for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. (Yonhap)