South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul is scheduled to cross the border to North Korea for the first time since his inauguration to visit the inter-Korean liaison office in the North's border town of Gaeseong.

A ministry official said on Tuesday that the unification minister will cross the border via the western land route at around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and receive a briefing from South Korean officials at the liaison office before returning home in the afternoon.

The official said that the visit is aimed at encouraging South Korean staff working at the liaison office as it has been playing an important role in inter-Korean relations.

Pyongyang recently agreed to the trip after Seoul informed the North last month of Kim's planned visit.

While the visit garners attention as it comes just days after the North's firing of several "projectiles" into the East Sea, the official said the minister has no plans to have consultations with North Koreans during his visit.

[Photo : YONHAP News]