SEOUL, April 7 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed to resume the inter-Korean ministerial talks later this month in Pyongyang, said South Korean Unification Ministry on Friday.

    "The North side on Thursday proposed holding the next round of ministerial talks on April 21-24 in Pyongyang," Yang Chang-seok, a spokesman of the South Korean Unification Ministry said.

    While, the ministry sent a telegram under the name of South Korea's chief delegate to the talks, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, earlier Friday to inform the DPRK side that it agrees with the DPRK's proposal, added Yang.

    The 18th round of the talks, which originally was scheduled to be held in late March, was put off by the DPRK as it protest to the annual South Korea-U.S. military drills.

    The annual military drills, Foal Eagle and RSOI Reception, Staging Onward Movement and Integration), were criticized by the DPRK as part of a U.S. plot to invade it. The military exercises already concluded its one-week duration on March 31.

    The upcoming round, if held, will be the first time for South Korean new unification minister to engage in inter-Korean dialogue. Lee Jong-seok was appointed to the new post early this year to replace the former minister Chung Dong-young.

    The two sides held the 17th round of the talks at South Korean southmost resort island of Jeju in December 2005. Enditem