SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- The United States has called on China to use its influence with North Korea to urge "restraint" by the North's new leadership, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday, as the international community keeps a wary eye on the sensitive transition of dynastic power in Pyongyang.
Kurt Campbell, Washington's top diplomat for Asia who arrived in South Korea Wednesday following his two-day stay in China, held talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and other senior officials to discuss the North Korean issue.
"We urged China to make clear the importance of restraint by the new North Korean leadership," Campbell told reporters. He is the first high-ranking U.S. official to visit Asia since the Dec. 17 death of Kim Jong-il.
Campbell also called for North Korea to improve its ties with South Korea. "We believe an essential component in an improving relationship with North Korea and the international community has to be an improvement in north-south relations."
"So we stand firm on that and we believe that ultimately an improving relationship between the North and the South is essential going forward," he said.
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In Beijing, Campbell urged "all parties" to refrain from "any provocations" after the sudden demise of Kim and the succession of his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, to the helm of North Korea.
"In all of our meetings, I underscored the strongest possible commitment of the United States to the enduring partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the determination to be as tightly aligned as we together face the new leadership transition in North Korea," he told reporters in Seoul.
On Friday, Campbell will leave for Japan before returning to Washington.
The U.S. diplomat said that South Korea, the U.S. and Japan plan to hold a trilateral meeting to discuss the aftermath of Kim's death.
"Our three-way coordination remains strong and we look forward to hosting a trilateral meeting in Washington at an early date," he said.
The situation in North Korea appears stable and the power transfer seems to be running smoothly as Kim Jong-un took up key posts at both the North's military and Workers' Party.
Still, experts remain wary about the leadership transition, given the age of the younger Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, and his lack of preparation to take over the communist regime.
On Wednesday, South Korea's defense ministry said it will soon sign a new joint operational plan with the U.S. to counter any North Korean attacks and hold regular military drills, citing the possibility of a provocation by the North as the new leader may want to demonstrate his empowerment.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high following the North's two military attacks that killed 50 South Korean people, mostly military personnel, in 2010.
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hague@yna.co.kr
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