The working-level talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia, were last held in late October at the truce village of Panmunjom.

Chun Yung-Woo, South Korea's head delegate to the nuclear disarmament talks, told Yonhap news agency earlier that the meeting would focus on assistance other than heavy fuel oil and which country would provide what kind of aid.

The Beijing meeting at the South Korean embassy was chaired by his deputy Lim Sung-Nam.

But an unnamed Japanese official told Kyodo news agency late Wednesday that no specific provisions had been agreed upon by the parties, although North Korea opined it should be given aid "at a steady pace" since it had started the denuclearisation process.

"There was a certain level of progress, but we have not reached a point where the list is finalised," the official was quoted as saying. "That will be coordinated through diplomatic channels."

Under an October agreement, North Korea is to disable its key nuclear plants at Yongbyon and disclose all its nuclear programmes by the end of the year in exchange for 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.

It began disabling the Yongbyon plants early last month and China and the United States took turns each to provide 50,000 tons of heavy oil. Russia has reportedly offered to make the next shipment.

Seoul sent 50,000 tons in July when the North first shut down the Yongbyon reactor.

The energy-starved North has limited capacity to store and use heavy oil in its power plants. It wants to receive just 450,000 tons of oil, with the remaining compensation in the form of help to patch up its crumbling power plants.

A report Sunday said South Korea would ship 5,000 tons of steel plate this month in the first batch of alternative aid.

However, the Japanese official said the meeting failed to make a decision on which country would make the next heavy fuel oil shipment to North Korea.

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