The government has welcomed North Korea’s proposal to jumpstart inter-Korean academic exchanges.

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development said Monday that it was mulling over a proposal by North Korean Education Minister Kim Yong-jin that the North offer teaching positions to South Korean scientists at the Pyongyang Science and Technology University.

A ministry official said that many South Korean scholars would covet such an opportunity, since South Korean researchers have previously conducted joint research with many foreign countries, but not with the North.

The official added that, if the North makes the offer official, South Korea's education and unification ministries would cooperate to prepare standards for such exchanges and choose candidates.

The two Koreas began building the Pyongyang Science and Technology University in June 2002. The school will provide courses on information and communication technologies and business administration.