SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government said Wednesday it decided to provide the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with cross-border communication equipment to modernize an inter-Korean military communication line.

    According to Seoul's unification ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo, the two Koreas agreed to fix their military line along the East Sea border, which has been malfunctioning lately.

    "We encountered much difficulty in communications due to the worn-out equipment, experiencing some 30 cases of miscommunication just last month," Lee said at a press briefing.

    Seoul will provide the needed equipment to the DPRK, Lee said, adding that the upgrades are expected to start Oct. 28 and take about two months.

    "The two Koreas will respectively carry out the line upgrades at their sides and later connect them at the military demarcation line," Lee said, adding that the operation would be completed before the severely cold season comes.

    The upgrade project was earlier tentatively agreed between the two sides in 2007, but was deferred after their relations soured following the inauguration of Seoul's Lee Myung-bak administration.

    The military line near the East Sea is the main inter-Korean communication channel used in exchanging lists of people who travel in and out of the Kaesong industrial complex in the DPRK.