South and North Korean working-level officials will meet Thursday to discuss the resumption of ministerial talks in the North Korean border city of Gaesong, following significant progress at the six-party nuclear talks in Beijing.

Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Yang Chang-seok said Wednesday that the two sides agreed to meet to realize the 20th Cabinet-level inter-Korean talks.

The spokesman added that Seoul had proposed the meeting on Monday in expectation of critical progress at the nuclear talks, and Pyongyang accepted the next day.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency Wednesday reported on Pyongyang's acceptance, saying that North Korea remains unchanged in its stance to seek the development of cross-border relations in accordance with the Joint Declaration of June 15th, 2000.

Thursday's working-level meeting comes about seven months after the 19th inter-Korean ministerial talks last July in Busan.

The spokesman said that the two sides will try their best to resume the high-level meetings as soon as possible, perhaps as early as the end of this month.