A cabinet meeting on Monday approved a revised law on inter-Korean exchanges to ease the process of obtaining a visa to visit to North Korea.

From next month, a South Korean can receive a visit permit no later than ten days after submitting an application, down from 20 days, and fill out a simpler form without a written statement for identification.

Documents confirming an invitation from an authority or organization in the North will be enough to gain permission for a visit.

Visit permits will remain valid from three to five years, and a person who contacts a North Korean via e-mail or online transaction need only to report to the government.