Visit of US nuclear envoy to South Korea

US Special Representative for North Korea, Sung Kim (R) and South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk arrive to attend a briefing after their meeting at a hotel in Seoul on October 24

Seoul: The US envoy for North Korea arrived in South Korea on Saturday amid stalled denuclearisation talks and tension over Pyongyang's recent missile tests.

Special Representative Sung Kim's visit came days after North Korea fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), which prompted criticism from Washington and calls for a return to talks aimed at denuclearising the North in return for US sanctions relief. Kim, after talks in Washington with South Korean and Japanese counterparts on Tuesday, urged North Korea "to refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue".

Pyongyang so far has rejected US overtures, accusing the US and South Korea of talking diplomacy while ratcheting up tensions with their own military activities. On Thursday, the North said the US was overreacting to its self-defensive SLBM test and questioned the sincerity of Washington's offers of talks, warning of consequences.

Kim said he looks forward to having "productive follow-up discussions" with his counterpart, without elaborating.