A senior South Korean diplomat will visit the United States this week to discuss cooperation on North Korea and other security issues, the foreign ministry here said Monday.

Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam will stay in Washington and New York from Tuesday to Saturday. During his stay he will meet US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan to exchange views on North Korea's nuclear issue and security situation in the wake of the recently-held inter-Korean talks.

Lim is also to attend the second Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, a meeting to discuss extended deterrence to better counter North Korea's growing missile and nuclear threats.

Extended deterrence refers to the US commitment to defend its ally by mobilizing all military capabilities, nuclear and conventional, against the North's aggression.

South Korea and the US agreed to hold the gathering, which involves senior foreign and defense ministry officials, in October 2016, and had their first meeting in December of the same year.

Lim will then travel to New York where he is to meet United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, followed by a luncheon with former US government officials and academics, including Caroline Kennedy, former US ambassador to Japan.

Lim's trip to the US comes after South and North Korea had their first formal dialogue in more than two years, last Tuesday, to discuss Pyongyang's participation in next month's Winter Olympics. Working-level talks are under way to work out details between the two Koreas. (Yonhap)