Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok says he will hold frank discussons with North Korea on a range of issues in inter-Korean ministerial talks in Pyongyang opening Friday.

In a news conference before leaving for Pyongyang Friday, Lee said he will clearly lay out Seoul's stance on South Korean abductees in the North, but cautioned against high expectations given the lack of speedy progress in previous rounds of talks.

Lee on Monday had pledged extensive economic aid to North Korea in return for the repatriation of South Koreans taken prisoner during the Korean War and those believed to have been abducted by Pyongyang after the war.

Some one-thousand South Korean abductees and POWs are believed to be still alive in the North.

The first session of the inter-Korean ministerial talks will begin Saturday morning, with both sides to announce their stances on the talks' agenda in keynote speeches.