Unification Minister Chung Dong-young says the government will begin earnest talks with North Korea over South Korean POWs and abductees at the August inter-Korean Red Cross meeting.

Chung said in a National Assembly session Monday that Seoul will work to resolve humanitarian issues between the two Koreas and institutionalize the reunion of separated families through on- and offline meetings and the construction of a permanent reunion center.

For the envisioned online reunion, a cross-border working-level technical meeting is slated for Wednesday in the North's border city of Gaesong.

Chung said his ministry would finish implementing existing projects and vowed to tackle a range of issues at the inter-Korean economic cooperative committee meeting set for early next month. The agenda includes the implementation of a nine-point business exchange agreement, setup of a related bureau and operation of the Gyeongui and Donghae Highways and an inter-Korean railway.