A high-ranking government official says the North Korean nuclear issue and inter-Korean relations should be dealt with separately.

During a meeting with reporters, the official cautioned against an automatic linking of the two issues.

He was responding to a question on whether Seoul was seeking to link or parallel progress in inter-Korean relations to the nuclear issue.

He declined to give a direct answer saying scholars have oversimplified the situation.

When asked when the government will normalize private citizen's visits to North Korea, the official said Seoul will allow humanitarian exchanges first.

He went on to say personnel related to two-Koreas’ economic cooperation projects will soon be allowed to visit.

The government has restricted visits to the North since Pyongyang’s April fifth rocket launch.