The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Thursday over the North Korean nuclear issue and joint efforts for lasting peace on the peninsula, the foreign ministry said.

Lee Do-hoon, the ministry's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea and deputy secretary of state, spoke over the phone in a show of their continued coordination on peace efforts.

The conversation came amid tensions caused by the North's repeated short-range rocket tests and a protracted stalemate in nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

"The two sides shared their assessment of the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula, and discussed ways to cooperate to make substantive progress in the efforts for the complete denuclearization of the peninsula and a lasting peace," the ministry said in a press release.

Lee and Biegun also agreed to continue close communication and consultation on North Korea-related issues.

Efforts to bring the North back to the negotiating table have recently slowed, as Seoul, Washington and Pyongyang have been focusing on stemming the spread of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)