Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo says he requested North Korea to return South Korean prisoners of war still alive in North Korea during his talks with North Korean Defense Minsiter Kim Il-chol in Pyongang.

Kim said he made the request on Thursday, the last day of the inter-Korean summit, at a luncheon North Korean leader Kim Jong-il hosted for the visiting South Korean summit delegation.

Kim said he urged the North to check how many South Korean POWs are still alive in the North, allow them to exchange letters with or meet their families in the South and repatriate them.

The minister said the North Korean defense chief nodded without making any comments.

The minister also said that President Roh Moo-hyun proposed the peaceful use of the demilitarized zone along the inter-Korean border, but North Korean leader Kim turned it down, saying it's too early.