The two Koreas will hold working group talks on the provision of economic and energy aid to the North under a six-party nuclear agreement.

The Foreign Ministry said that Pyongyang proposed the talks, which will take place at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Friday.

The talks will also discuss the verification of the North’s nuclear programs. Once verified, the second stage of denuclearization will be complete.

The meeting will be the first inter-Korean discussions since North Korea told the U.S. late August that it would suspend nuclear disablement and begin the restoration of nuclear facilities.

South Korean representatives will be led by Hwang Joon-kook, who oversees the ministry's North Korean nuclear affairs bureau. North Korea’s chief delegate is Hyun Hak-bong, deputy director of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's American affairs bureau.