South Korea is pushing to ease laws on inter-Korean exchanges to expand cross-border cooperation and give more autonomy to local governments to execute related projects.

The Unification Ministry on Tuesday announced revisions to the "South-North Exchange and Cooperation Law," which includes simplifying Seoul's approval process for contact with North Korean people as part of exchange programs.

Until now, the unification minister could reject inter-Korean contact due to concerns over national security or public order, but the process will now only require reporting to the minister.

Local governments have also been included as main agents in inter-Korean projects to allow them to pursue such initiatives on their own.

The move comes as South Korea is pushing to expand cross-border exchanges as inter-Korean relations have come to a near halt amid a lack of progress in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

The ministry is set to hold a public hearing on the revisions before submitting the plan for parliamentary approval within the year.