South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a phone conversation with US State Secretary Rex Tillerson on Wednesday, explaining the position of Seoul regarding possible talks with Pyongyang ahead of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Minister Kang explained the situation, in light of which the South Korean government had made a proposal to hold inter-Korean talks at the highest level, and underlined the position of the government of South Korea, which offers to promote a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear issue as well as the normalization of relations between Seoul and Pyongyang on the occasion of the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang," the statement read.

Kang and Tillerson also discussed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's New Year address to the nation, where he expressed hope that the country's athletes might participate in the Olympics and agreed to continue joint diplomatic efforts and cooperation on the North Korean issue, according to the statement.