Discussions have been under way between South Korea and the United States to arrange a meeting between outgoing President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden when Biden visits Seoul next month for summit talks with incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol, an official said Thursday.

Yoon, who is set to take office on May 10, and Biden will hold their first summit in Seoul on May 21, Yoon's officials said. Biden plans to visit South Korea from May 20-22.

South Korea and the US have been discussing a meeting between Moon and Biden "in a dimension of mutual trust and respect in office," the official said on the condition of anonymity.

The potential meeting between Moon and Biden was being arranged at the request of Biden.

Moon visited the US in May last year and held summit talks with Biden.

Biden's visit will come only 10 days after Yoon takes office, making their meeting the earliest-ever South Korea-US summit to take place following a South Korean president's inauguration.

Cheong Wa Dae welcomed Biden's visit, saying it will serve as an opportunity to make bilateral relations more solid. (Yonhap)