Unification Minister Lee Jae-jeong met with North Korea's number-two man Kim Yong-nam Thursday, conveying the message that Pyongyang should faithfully implement the February 13 six-way agreement and take steps to dismantle its nuclear facilities.

Returning from a meeting with Kim, who heads the Supreme People's Assembly, the minister told reporters that he had strongly urged the North to contribute to establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula and the rest of Northeast Asia.

Lee added that he had called on Pyongyang to further the cause of peace on the peninsula by holding high-level South-North talks on a regular basis in order to take strategic advantage of the inter-Korean and the six-party frameworks.

Asked about the atmosphere at the meeting, Lee said it was “not appropriate” to reveal details of the talks.

But he said that the Thursday meeting was helpful in identifying differences and common ground between the two sides.