South Korea and the United States discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in disaster control and anti-terrorism efforts amid a spike in worldwide safety concerns, the government said Wednesday.

Seoul said Minister of Public Safety and Security Park In-yong met Reginald Brothers, undersecretary for science and technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and discussed follow-up measures to an agreement reached in March.

The two sides concurred during a weeklong disaster and security management meeting in Washington in March that there is a need to forge a close communication channel to exchange information on terrorism and ways to respond to disaster situations.

The South Korean minister told the undersecretary that South Korea wants to actively push forward follow-up measures on the matters agreed, including exchange of techniques in countering disasters and terrorism, as well as dispatching personnel so as to create firmer ties, the ministry said.

Reginald Brothers will visit the National Disaster Management Institute in South Korea's southeastern city of Ulsan on Thursday and seek ways to conduct joint research.

On Wednesday, South Korean Vice Interior Minister Kim Sung-lyul also met with Brothers and touched on ways to cooperate in countering cyber attacks and protecting digital information. (Yonhap)