Civic groups in South Korea are pushing for a meeting with their counterparts in North Korea on Mount Geugmang next month. 

A committee pushing for the event held a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday and said it is discussing with the North to hold a two-day gathering on the North Korean mountain resort from February 12th.

The committee, consisting of five South Korean civic groups, including the South Korean Committee on the June 15th Joint Declaration, hoped the meeting will open the gates for inter-Korean exchanges beyond the government-to-government level. 

The event, projected to be held a week after the Lunar New Year, will bring together around 400 people, including 260 from the South. 

South Korean companies involved in stalled inter-Korean projects, including the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and the tourist program on Mount Geumgang, are also expected to attend the meeting. 

Ji Eun-hee, an adviser to the Civil Peace Forum, anticipated the meeting will build some momentum to expand efforts to make the Korean Peninsula peaceful and nuclear free.