U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and White House adviser Ivanka met with Friday with South Korean President Moon Jae In and lauded the two countries' joint efforts to tackle the North Korea problem, saying they are bearing fruit, according to Moon's office.

The dinner meeting at the presidential office came just hours before President Trump was set to announce new sanctions against North Korea, targeting dozens of vessels, as well as shipping companies and trade businesses.

Earlier, Yonhap News Agency quoted Ivanka Trump as telling Moon that her trip to South Korea to attend Sunday's closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics is partly aimed at reaffirming the allies' commitment to "maximum pressure" against the North.

Moon, for his part, reiterated the need to maintain the ongoing mood of inter-Korean reconciliation, saying the two Koreas are now actively engaged in dialogue "and this is greatly contributing to easing tension on the Korean Peninsula and improving the South-North relationship."

"I believe this too was possible because President Trump strongly supports South-North Korean dialogue," he added.

Ivanka Trump arrived in Seoul earlier in the day as part of the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics closing ceremony. It includes White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea.

Her four-day visit, following one by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence for the Feb. 9 opening ceremony of the Olympics, has spurred speculation about possible contact between U.S. and North Korean delegations during her stay.

The North Korean delegation head by Kim Yong Chol, the head of the North Korean ruling party's United Front Department, is visiting the South from Sunday for the closing ceremony.

But a high-level official of the South Korean presidential office has cast doubt on such a possibility, with senior officials of the Trump administration saying that Ivanka Trump has no plans to meet with North Korean officials during the trip.

For the opening ceremony, North Korea sent a high-level delegation that included leader Kim Jong Un's sister and close aide, Kim Yo Jong, and ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam.

The U.S. State Department said this week that Pence was to meet with Kim Yo Jong during the Olympics, but that the North's delegation pulled out "at the last minute."