SEOUL, May 16 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) resumed high-level talks on Monday in the DPRK for the first time in 10 months, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

    Officials from both sides started their two-day meeting in the DPRK border city of Kaesong Monday morning.

    Prior to the talks, South Korean officials said they hoped to use the meeting to further develop inter-Korean relations, according to Yonhap.

    "I hope that the talks could serve as an occasion to further develop inter-Korean relations by a notch," South Korea's chief delegate and Vice Unification Minister, Rhee Bong-jo, was quoted by Yonhap as telling DPRK delegates before the start of the meeting.

    He also stressed the importance of mutual respect and confidence as well as faithful implementation of what has been agreed upon between the two states.

    DPRK's chief delegate Kim Man-gil called for efforts to bring "joy" to the two sides, the Yonhap reported.

    South Korean officials cautioned against too much optimism.

    Before crossing the border into the DPRK, a South Korean official said his delegation was to propose that a full-fledged inter-Korean Cabinet-level meeting be reopened in June.

    While anticipating that this week's talks would cover "comprehensive" inter-Korean issues, South Korean officials said they also believe that the dialogue may likely be dominated by the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

    Economic assistance for the DPRK was also expected to be discussed at Monday's meeting. South Korean officials said they were considering partially accepting the DPRK's request for 500,000 tons of free fertilizer.

    The three-member South Korean delegation traveled to the DPRK by bus after a one-hour drive from Seoul. They were scheduled to return to Seoul via the same route at the end of each day's talks.  Enditem