Koreas peace talks: South hopes to get its detained citizens released from North

South Korea' unification ministry has said that it continues to make efforts to release six of its countrymen detained in North Korea.

Unification ministry spokesperson Baik Tae-hyun said the government is trying to resolve the detainee issue through inter-Korean talks, reported Yonhap, South Korea's news agency, on Wednesday.

"Our government has worked to resolve the detainee issue through inter-Korean talks and cooperation with the international community, and it will continue to make active efforts to bring back those detainees as soon as possible," said unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun while speaking to the media.

The statement comes at a time when the two Koreas have decided to sign a peace treaty formally later this year, ending the 65-year-old war between the two countries.

South Korea is also hopeful as there are reports of the possible release of three US citizens held in North Korea.

As of now, six South Korean citizens are held in North Korea. The prisoners include three pastors - Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil, who had been arrested on charges of spying for South Korea's spy agency.

The Korean War between the two countries took place from 1950-53, which ended with a ceasefire and signing of an armistice agreement. Technically, both the countries are still at war since no peace treaty has been signed between them.