South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit the White House on May 21 for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, highlighting the "ironclad alliance" between the two countries, the White House said on Thursday.

"President Biden looks forward to working with President Moon to further strengthen our alliance and expand our close cooperation," the White House said in a statement.

The event will mark the second in-person summit with a foreign leader of Biden's presidency, which began on January 20. Both meetings have been with Asian allies. The first, earlier this month, was with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Moon's Senior Press Secretary Chung Man-ho told a televised briefing that the two leaders will reaffirm the solidity of their countries' alliance and look forward to expanding comprehensive and reciprocal cooperation based on the friendship of the two nations. 

"The meeting will also address close cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. to make progress on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a lasting peace policy, as well as practical cooperation, including on economy and trade, and the response to global challenges such as climate change and COVID-19," Chung said.

Biden's Democrat administration said it is in the final stages of its policy review to stem the nuclear program in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Moon called on Biden to re-open negotiations with Pyongyang on the denuclearization of the DPRK.

Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled when a summit between Biden's predecessor Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi collapsed in February 2019.

(With input from Reuters, AFP)