The South Korean minister in charge of inter-Korean affairs on Friday reiterated calls for the two Koreas to seek cooperation in border areas, as soon as conditions are met, and to fulfill what was agreed upon between their leaders in 2018.

At a global forum held in the border town of Cherwon on transforming the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) into a peace zone, Unification Minister Lee In-young said the two sides are joined as a community of life and safety.

He added that the DMZ has a lot to offer in terms of cross-border cooperation, such as COVID-19 quarantine, health care and climate change.

Lee then expressed regret over the shooting death of a fisheries official by North Korean troops near a western border island last month.

While Seoul will do all that it can to find the truth behind the official's death, Lee said the incident serves as a reminder that such border areas should be the starting point for peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.