The Unification Ministry says it would have to review the details of a potential proposal to join a committee to establish a gas pipeline from Russia through the Korean Peninsula before agreeing to join the project.

The building of the gas pipe was agreed upon between the leaders of North Korea and Russia on Wednesday.

A ministry official said in the current situation, it is difficult to say whether South Korea will accept or refuse. The official said that if specific efforts are to be pushed for the pipeline project, there needs to be some trust between the two Koreas and that their currently rocky bilateral relations would need to ease.

The official said that there will likely be discussions through diplomatic channels on the issue, adding that the deal will be a long-term project with numerous issues to resolve.