South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on Friday for a meeting of five countries, excluding North Korea, to discuss the North's nuclear program alongside long-stalled Six-Party Talks that include Pyongyang.

Park's comments came amid a series of diplomatic exchanges involving the US and China as the international community seeks to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea for its fourth nuclear test on January 6.

"In the past, the Six-Party Talks were useful as a framework to resolve North Korean nuclear issues via dialogue," Park said in remarks at the presidential Blue House.

"But even if the talks open but don't help de-nuclearize North Korea, the question of efficacy will be brought up," she said.

China has been calling for a resumption of the Six-Party Talks among the two Koreas, China, the US, Japan and Russia aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said on Friday talks were still the best way to resolve the problem and that the Six-Party Talks process should resume as soon as possible.

"China has always been a supporter of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, a contributor to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and a promoter of resolving issues via dialogue," Hong said.

Efforts to restart the Six-Party Talks have failed since negotiations collapsed following the last round in 2008.

"Relevant parties, although it is not an easy matter, should find out various and creative approaches such as trying five-party talks excluding North Korea," Park said.

In a separate incident on Friday, North Korea detained a US university student, the third Western citizen known to be held in the country, for committing a "hostile act" and wanting to "destroy the ­country's unity."

Otto Frederick Warmbier, 21, of the University of Virginia, was in North Korea for a five-day trip and was detained at Pyongyang airport on January 2 ahead of a flight back to China, said Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours, which organized the visit.

According to the North's official KCNA news agency, Warmbier entered North Korea as a tourist and "was caught committing a hostile act against the state."

The US State Department said it was aware of reports that a US citizen had been detained.