U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman bumps elbows with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong prior to their meeting at the ministry office in Seoul, July 22. AP-Yonhap

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong agreed Thursday to work closely together to bring North Korea back to the denuclearization talks, the foreign ministry said.

The two shared the understanding when Sherman paid a courtesy call on Chung in Seoul earlier in the day. Sherman arrived here Wednesday from Japan, where she had trilateral talks with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Choi Jong-kun and Takeo Mori, respectively.

"Minister Chung and Deputy Secretary Sherman reaffirmed the goal of achieving the complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, which was affirmed by the leaders of the two leaders at the time of the Korea-U.S. summit," the ministry said in a release.

"While sharing an understanding that diplomacy and dialogue are essential in achieving the goal, (the two sides) also agreed to continue close cooperation at every level to bring North Korea to the dialogue table," it said.