SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to hold a bilateral meeting next week to evaluate their joint industrial survey to China and Vietnam conducted last month, news agency Yonhap reported Thursday citing a government source.

    The meeting, set to be held on Jan. 19 at the Kaesong industrial town, will be the first official meeting between the two Koreas this year and will have delegations from both sides who took part in the joint survey last month.

    The two countries will make assessments on the results of the surveys and will discuss ways to revamp the complex, the report said, as it may lead to further dialogue in the future.

    According to the report, South Korea first proposed holding an evaluation meeting to the DPRK during their joint trip, and the DPRK side accepted it on Wednesday.

    Officials from the two Koreas visited industrial complexes in China and Vietnam from Dec. 12 to 22 to conduct joint surveys in an effort to find benchmark models and learn from successful ventures to enhance the operation of their Kaesong joint industrial park.

    After the trip, both countries recognized the need for a more stable management at the Kaesong complex, agreeing to raise its competitiveness and resolve pendent issues through further dialogue, the South Korean unification minister said at a press conference.

    Throughout the trip, the DPRK officials were "always cooperative and actively engaged," the minister added, as they were particularly interested in employee wage and insurance systems.

    The joint move was the third between the two countries following trips in 2005 and 2007.

    The Kaesong Complex, built in 2004 as an inter-Korean reconciliation project, currently has 116 South Korean businesses employing more than 42,000 DPRK workers, with an output reaching nearly 27 million U.S. dollars in October.