South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that he called for China to play a "responsible" role in reining in North Korea's nuclear and missile threats when he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang last week.

Yoon told Li that North Korea should not be a "stumbling block" in bilateral ties with Beijing as it poses an "existential threat" to South Korea.

"Noting that South Korea-U.S.-Japan relations are bound to become more solid as the North Korean nuclear issue becomes more serious, I asked China to play a responsible role for the development of our bilateral relations, and as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council," Yoon told a televised cabinet meeting.

Yoon also said he and Li displayed support for a planned resumption this year of a trilateral summit involving Japan.