Seoul: A senior Seoul diplomat met with the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea on Thursday to discuss pending issues, including the implementation of a bilateral trade deal and developments on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said.

According to Yonhap News Agency, in the meeting, Jeong Yeon-doo, vice minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence, and James Heller, charge d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, agreed to strengthen their communication going forward. A ministry official noted that Thursday's meeting was not organized to discuss coordination on North Korea policy, marking Heller's first visit to the foreign ministry for talks with Jeong.

On the possibility of a U.S. delegation visiting South Korea this month for security negotiations, included in a joint fact sheet released in November, Heller told reporters that arrangements are being discussed. When asked about the U.S. response on a delay in potential South Korean investment projects in the United States, Heller responded that the U.S. remains optimistic.

The Korean government launched a committee last week to begin a preliminary review of the potential projects as part of efforts to uphold its own bilateral trade deal with the U.S., finalized late last year, under which Seoul made a US$350 billion investment pledge to Washington.