Yun, the special representative for North Korea policy of the State Department, arrived in Seoul on Monday from his tour of Beijing for talks with his counterpart and other senior officials there. He is to leave for the US on Thursday.

Yun's visit comes on the heels of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's trip to Seoul last week when he warned that all options including the use of military force are on the table in dealing with the North. Tillerson wrapped up his Asian tour in Beijing on Sunday.

Yun is expected to share with Kim what was discussed between Tillerson and his Chinese counterparts in Beijing. The two are also expected to fine-tune their coordinated approach on the nuclear front based on the outcome of Tillerson's recent Asia tour.

The two nuclear envoys met in late February in Washington. Yun came to Seoul in December but his ongoing visit marks the first of its kind under the Donald Trump administration.

Tensions are running high on the divided peninsula as North Korea continues to defy international warnings by carrying out provocations.

The North test-fired four ballistic missiles early this month and Pyongyang also announced on Sunday that it tested a new high-thrust rocket engine, raising speculation for near-future provocations.

The Trump administration is in the final stage of reviewing its policy on North Korea. Calls are growing in Washington to ratchet up sanctions against the North to starve Pyongyang of hard currency that could be exploited to advance its missile and nuclear programs. (Yonhap)