Seoul: South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in spoke to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday and said North Korea needs to cease making provocations before tensions over the deployment of a US anti-missile system in the South can be resolved.

Yoon Young-chan, a spokesman for the presidential Blue House, said Xi had explained China's position over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to Moon, who took office on Wednesday.

He did not elaborate, but Yoon also said the two leaders agreed that all sides must work together to ease tensions over North Korea's weapons programme.