North Korea has asked Seoul for an additional 500,000 tons of rice and 300,000 tons of fertilizer aid at the 18th inter-Korean ministerial talks.

An official familiar with the talks also said Monday that the North had yet to respond formally to former President Kim Dae-jung‘s wish to visit North Korea and to Seoul’s request for a meeting between its chief delegate to the talks, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The official said discussions on the issues will take some time since the North’s delegation seemed to be waiting for final word from Pyongyang on the matters at hand. Accordingly, the closing session of the talks, scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. Monday, will likely be delayed.

The South’s delegation also urged Pyongyang to pursue bold measures to resolve a number of issues, including the South Korean abductees and POWs matter, the North's designation of Danchon in South Hamgyeong Province as a special zone for joint resource development and the joint use of a western estuary of the Han River.