Seoul's chief delegate to the ongoing inter-Korean vice-ministerial talks says he will try his best to work out a joint South-North statement at the end of the two-day meeting on Tuesday.

Vice Unification Minister Lee Bong-jo told reporters before crossing the border to North Korea that Monday's talks went smoothly and that each agenda item would be discussed in detail today.

Lee also said today's talks, being held in the North's border city of Gaesong, would touch on issues of fertilizer aid for the North and the resumption of Cabinet-level meetings between the two Koreas.