The top diplomat of Laos expressed concerns over North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Tuesday and committed his country's support for South Korea's efforts to peacefully resolve the security issues involving North Korea, the foreign ministry here said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called for Laos' proactive support and cooperation in dealing with the North Korean issue as she met with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The North's missile launch is a "very serious and grave provocation" and the Seoul government is in close consultation with its counterparts in the US to "further seek sanctions at the Security Council level," Kang said in an opening remark of the meeting. 

The Lao minister expressed "deep concerns" over the escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula and extended Laos' robust support for the South Korean government's bid to settle the issue peacefully, the ministry said.

The two ministers also pledged to beef up cooperation between the two countries in a variety of different fields, including defense, trade, investment, culture and society as well as on the international stage.

The Lao minister also hoped that South Korean companies would expand their investment in Laos and expressed expectations that the South Korean government would also extend its official development assistance to the country's rural development and water management, the ministry said. (Yonhap)