South Korea's top national security officials agreed Thursday to continue efforts for the development of Seoul-Tokyo ties, as Yoshihide Suga was sworn in as Japan's new prime minister, Cheong Wa Dae said.

During the weekly standing committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), they reviewed the recent security conditions around the Korean Peninsula and pending alliance issues involving the United States.

They discussed ways to "manage South Korea's diplomatic and national security situations with stability," it said in a press statement.

In particular, the NSC members "agreed to make continuous efforts for the development of South Korea-Japan relations" on the occasion of Suga's inauguration, Cheong Wa Dae added without elaborating.

The NSC session was presided over by Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae.

The previous day, President Moon Jae-in sent a letter to Suga, in which he suggested joint efforts for an improvement in bilateral relations that have been at a low ebb due to disputes over shared history.

Cheong Wa Dae said the Moon administration is ready to have dialogue with the Japanese government anytime. (Yonhap)