WASHINGTON - Moon Jae-in, new president of the Republic of Korea, dined with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday as part of an effort to reassure Washington he will coordinate closely on dealing with the Korean Peninsula issue.

Trump said at the start of the formal dinner that he and Moon would discuss the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issue and trade over two days of meetings.

Moon has sought to make clear to the US that he is serious about dealing with his neighbor's threat, despite having long advocated engagement with Pyongyang to address its nuclear weapons development.