Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is resisting North Korea’s request for Seoul to sharply reduce the size of its delegation to a joint June 15th ceremony in Pyongyang.

In a meeting at the prime minister’s residence on Wednesday, Chung urged the North to adhere to the agreements the two Koreas reached last week on details of the South’s delegation to the celebrations marking the 2000 inter-Korean summit.

Chung said Seoul will closely study various factors before issuing its final position on the North's request later this week.

Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea had demanded via a telephone message that the South send 30 delegates instead of the original 70 to the joint celebrations.

The message cited what it called "new hindrances" by the United States in an apparent reference to Washington's deployment of 15 F-117 stealth fighters to South Korea.