The government is known to be seeking separate family reunions for South Korean abductees and prisoners of war in North Korea, which have been held alongside regular family reunions until now.

A Unification Ministry official says Seoul will broach the issue at the three-day inter-Korean Red Cross talks opening Tuesday at the North's Mount Geumgang.

The official said that two to five family members of abductees and POWs had previously been included in the group family reunions. But he said the government is seeking ways to fundamentally address the issue for substantial results.

He said that Seoul stands by its offer of bold economic assistance to resolve the abductee and POW issues as outlined during a high-level inter-Korean meeting in April 2006.

The official said Seoul will sound Pyongyang's reaction to the proposal and take appropriate measures.