S. Korea, DPRK agree to hold government-level meeting

South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to hold a government meeting in Seoul later this week to resolve inter-Korean issues, media reported Monday.

The decision was made at the working-level talks between the two sides conducted at the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

The two sides have reached partial understanding at the talks, which opened the way for formal talks to be held between governments of both countries for the first time in several years, the report said.

"The two sides reached a compromise that allows Seoul and Pyongyang to release two separate statements reflecting their respective views on what should be discussed as agendas in the two-day talks and who should lead respectively the delegations," Yonhap quoted a Unification Ministry official as saying.

The two-day meeting that will start Wednesday will discuss issues such as normalizing the operation of the Kaesong Industrial Zone, resuming the tours of Mount Kumgang and reunion of families separated by the Korean War, DPRK's KCNA news agency reported.

The meeting will also talk about the issue of jointly celebrating the anniversaries of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration and the July 4 1972 North-South Joint Statement, the KCNA reported.

Each delegation to the upcoming talks will comprise five delegates. The delegation of the north side will be headed by minister-level authorities and will travel to the south overland on the west coast, the report said.

According to the Yonhap report, Seoul said it will sent Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae and wanted Kim Yang Gon, secretary of the Central Committee of the DPRK Workers' Party of Korea, at the talks.