SEOUL South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho met his U.S. and Chinese counterparts on the sidelines of the G20 economic leaders' meeting held in India, the ministry said.

Choo said during a meeting on Monday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that recently improving ties between South Korea and Japan would also contribute to closer economic relations among the three countries.

South Korea will continue to cooperate with the United States on sanctions against Russia, Choo was quoted as saying in a statement released by the ministry.

In a separate meeting with Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun, Choo said he hoped for continued economic cooperation underpinned by mutual respect, reciprocity and common interests.

In the first face-to-face meeting in four years between the finance leaders of South Korea and China, Choo proposed to Kun that the two countries communicate more often through various channels.

(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Kim Coghill & Shri Navaratnam)