The meeting of top diplomats in Seoul comes amid concern Pyongyang could be planning a third nuclear test.
North Korea should avoid ”any further provocations”, said the South’s chief nuclear envoy, Lim Sung-nam.
Officials said the talks would address growing tension on the Korean peninsula.
Mr Lim, who was meeting Japan’s Shinsuke Sugiyama and Glyn Davies, the US special envoy for North Korea policy, said he hoped that the talks could “lead North Korea to the right side of peace”.
After the one-day talks Mr Davis heads for Beijing to meet China’s chief nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, on Tuesday and visit Tokyo on Wednesday, South Korean media reported.
Meanwhile the G8 leaders, meeting over the weekend, warned Pyongyang that it would face more sanctions if it “continues down the path of provocation”.
The statement was included in a declaration the group issued at the end of the two-day summit.
“We affirm our will to call on the UN Security Council to take action in response to additional (North Korea) acts, including ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests.”