Seoul's Unification Ministry may take into consideration results of working group talks on North Korea scheduled with the U.S. in determining whether to allow South Korean businesspeople to check facilities at the North’s Gaeseong Industrial Complex.

The working group meeting is scheduled in Washington on Thursday local time.

The government earlier said it will extend its review process to March 22nd on whether to allow the businesspeople to make a cross-border trip to the inter-Korean industrial park in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong. 

A ministry official said a decision will come after holding talks with the U.S. and the international community.

When asked whether the working group meeting carries significance regarding the Gaeseong complex decision, the official said that Washington is aware of the situation and that Seoul will observe how talks progress in the working group meeting.

A government delegation led by Foreign Ministry director Rhee Dong-yeol will hold the working group talks on North Korea issues with the U.S. in Washington and discuss inter-Korean cooperation and Washington-Pyongyang relations.

South Korea shut down the Gaeseong complex in 2016 following North Korean missile and nuclear provocations.