During the meeting, delegations of South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held two rounds of plenary sessions and several contacts between chief delegates and working officials were made to discuss institutional systems backing inter-Korean economic cooperation, the ministry was quoted by the national news agency Yonhap News.

Among the issues which were discussed at the meeting are follow-up measures to implement four economic cooperation agreements, including a double taxation avoidance accord, confirmation of the origin of products, industrial standards and property rights, saidthe ministry.

During the inter-Korean ministerial talks held in December 2000, the two sides agreed on the above four accords which have not yet been approved by the two countries.

South Korea and the DPRK agreed to start in the last half of the year several inter-Korean economic communications such as the construction of Kaesong Industrial Complex in the DPRK as well as Mount Geumgang Tourist Zone to attract South Korean tourists.

With the growth of such economic communications, the two sides recognized the necessity to set institutional systems to support those projects.

The two sides will hold another discussion at a proper time, said the ministry.

(People's Daily December 14, 2002)