North and South Korea plan to hold talks this month to pave way for the inter-Korean prime ministers' meeting in November, a top government official said Friday. Officials from both Koreas planned to meet at North Korea's Kaesong City near the inter-Korean border to make preparations for the prime ministers' talks, such as setting the agenda, Unification Minister Lee Jae-Joung said.
No date has been set for the talks. The two countries have agreed to open a prime ministers' meeting in Seoul in November to implement an October 4 accord on peace and cooperation signed by President Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
The October 4 Declaration calls for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and a permanent peace pact to end the world's last Cold War divide. It also calls on the two Koreas to step up trade, travel and political exchanges, including initiating freight train service between the communist North and South, and flights for the growing number of South Korean tourists.