SEOUL, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Officials of South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed Wednesday that former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung will pay a four-day visit to Pyongyang next month, said a South Korean official.

    "The former president's visit will take place in the latter half of June for three nights and four days," Yang Chang-seok, spokesman for the Unification Ministry, told reporters.

    The two sides agreed to continue negotiations on specific dates for the visit in DPRK's border city of Kaesong at the end of May, the spokesman added.

    The agreement came after a two-day inter-Korean meeting in DPRK's Mount Geumgang on details of Kim's visit.

    However, the two sides failed to reach an agreement on how the former president will travel to Pyongyang although Kim Dea-jung has said earlier that he hopes to go to the DPRK by train.

    "Regarding the route of travel, our side relayed (Kim's) message that he wishes travel to the DPRK by train, while the DPRK proposed a direct air route," Yang said.

    Kim Dae-jung is expected to meet with DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-il during his trip.

    The two sides agreed earlier this month to have test runs of cross-border railways on May 25.

    In June 2000, Kim Dae-jung paid a historic visit to Pyongyang for the first-ever inter-Korean summit. The visit was widely regarded as a milestone in the inter-Korean history as it paved way for peaceful cooperation and exchanges in various areas between the two sides. Enditem