After three days of talks in Seoul, the North Korean delegation to the inter-Korean ministerial talks has returned to Pyongyang.

In a 12-point joint statement issued late Thursday night, the two sides agreed to take substantial steps to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue 'once the atmosphere is mature'.

North Korea agreed to dispatch a government delegation to an August 15th Liberation Day ceremony in Seoul and to hold working-level discussions next month in the border city of Gaesong to prepare for the ceremony.

The two sides also agreed to hold the next round of Cabinet-level talks in September and the third general-level military talks, both at the North’s Mt. Baekdu. An exact date for the latter talks will be set later.

Both sides will set up a subpanel under the inter-Korean economic cooperation committee to discuss measures aimed at preventing accidential clashes along the western sea border, which has seen several bloody naval skirmishes in recent years.

The two sides will hold another round of family reunions and break ground for the construction of a permanent reunion center on August 26 at the North’s Mt. Geumgang resort.

Red Cross talks will also be held in August to determine the fate and whereabouts of South Koreans taken prisoner during the Korean War or abducted to the North after the war's end.