The Unification Ministry says it has no plans to elevate ongoing inter-Korean working-level talks to higher-level meetings.

Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-seong told a regular news briefing audience Friday that the ministry is not mulling the move. He was responding to a question about Seoul’s attempts to resolve the issue of a South Korean worker detained by the North.

The spokesman said that elevating the working-level talks to higher-level meetings requires a comprehensive review of inter-Korean relations and the North's positions.

Chun added that the detained worker issue should be settled at the working-level talks.

Regarding the North's latest short-range missile launches on Thursday, he urged Pyongyang to halt actions that escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula and strain cross-border relations and the stable development of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and cross-border relations.