North Korea says it will join the 21st inter-Korean ministerial meeting in Seoul, which is slated for Tuesday, despite a delay in the shipment of 400-thousand tons of rice aid from the South.

In bilateral talks at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Friday, Pyongyang notified Seoul that it would send a 26-member delegation including Senior Cabinet Councilor Kwon Ho-ung and four other high-ranking officials.

The two sides agreed that the Pyongyang delegation would enter the South through Incheon International Airport via North Korean flag carrier Air Koryo.

An official from Seoul's Unification Ministry said the two sides were negotiating on a detailed schedule for the ministerial meeting and would exchange finalized delegation lists on Monday.