Both South Korea and the USA met for security talks to focus on the heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea, referred to the North as a "stumbling block" to world peace and security. North Korea was top of the agenda at the meeting. 

The meeting was between the US Under Secretary of Defence, Michele Flournoy and Lee Sang-Hee, South Korean Defence Minister. 

The international community has been alarmed by North Korea's vow to build more nuclear weapons after the UN gave North Korea sanctions referring to it carrying out its second nuclear test and missile launches last month. 

In response to the sanctions North Korea has escalated threats of war, threatening it would deliver a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" and "wipe out the [US] aggressors". 

An arms embargo and inspections has been authorized by the UN Security Council to inspect North Korean ships suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction. 

A US Navy Destroyer is tracking the Kang Nam 1, which is a North Korean ship they suspect is carrying banned cargo. 

Both US officials and South Korea media believe that the Kang Nam is carrying missiles and is headed to Myanmar. 

The US are still monitoring the ship, but declined requests to give its location.