Unification Minister Lee Jae-jeong said Wednesday that next week’s inter-Korean ministerial talks could raise the possibility of dialogue at a higher level.

He made the remark at a National Assembly committee session, adding that it's too early to tell whether an inter-Korean summit will be discussed at the talks in Pyongyang next week.

He said that both sides will discuss the possibility of various meetings at the upcoming talks and aim for gradual progress.

Lee added that inter-Korean talks will be coordinated with other participant countries in the
the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Denying media reports of Pyongyang’s possible possession of highly enriched uranium, or HEU, the minister said the government had no intelligence whatsoever on that issue.