Unification Minister Chung Dong-youg says the government next week will urge North Korea to faithfully implement the joint statement agreed in the fourth round of the six-party nuclear talks.

In a standing committee meeting of the Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification Tuesday, Chung said Seoul will make the request on December 13th in the 17th inter-Korean ministerial talks on Jeju Island.

He said the government will make it clear to Pyongyang that the two sides cannot push for economic exchanges without resolving peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The ministerial talks will also focus on boosting inter-Korean economic cooperation to allow the North to stand on its own over the long term and on military cooperation.

Chung said Seoul will urge Pyongyang to make a strategic decision to resolve other inter-Korean issues such as South Korean prisoners of war and abductees held in the North.