South Korea and the United States held working-level consultations here Tuesday on tightening the screw on North Korea for its provocations, the Foreign Ministry said.

Kim Gunn, the ministry's director general for North Korean nuclear affairs, met with Jennifer Fowler, deputy assistant secretary of treasury for terrorist financing.

They "consulted on ways to strengthen sanctions on North Korea," it said.

The two sides focused on how to cooperate in efforts to enhance the effectiveness of sanctions in response to Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.

The U.S. official also briefed Kim on the Obama administration's preparation for implementing new legislation on imposing additional sanctions on the North, said the ministry. It did not provide details. (Yonhap)