Japanese and South Korean officials held an unofficial meeting in Monaco on Friday over Seoul’s claim that the Sea of Japan, which lies between the two countries, should be called the East Sea, the South Korean government said Saturday.

The Monaco meeting, presided over by the International Hydrographic Organization, was also attended by officials from North Korea, the United States and the U.K., according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

The ministry said the participants exchanged candid and comprehensive views.

A similar meeting between Japan and South Korea on the matter was held in London in April.

The result of the Japan-South Korea talks will be reported to a general meeting of the IHO next April.

South Korea is demanding that the sea be renamed the East Sea or that its proposed name should be used with the existing name on maps.

The Japanese government is poised to reject the South Korean demand, maintaining the position that the Sea of Japan is the “only internationally established name” for the sea.