During Monday's talks, the ministry said that the two sides agreed there should be further discussion with regard to the outcome of the August survey of the western roads and they will determine the dates for their future talks through an exchange of documents.

Such field surveys are part of efforts to figure out the exact condition of roads in the region as the two Koreas are pushing to modernize and eventually connect them across their border.

The prospects for the joint project, however, remain unclear as it is apparently faced with opposition from the United States, which has voiced concerns over faster progress in inter-Korean relations than in denuclearization talks with North Korea.

South and North Korea had separately planned to conduct a joint survey of cross-border railway lines in the western region in late October, but it has yet to begin as consultations with the US have not been completed.

The two Koreas earlier agreed to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the joint work on the road and railway connections in late November or early December following the planned field surveys.

Meanwhile, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told lawmakers that many countries, including China and Russia, appear to be keenly interested in the inter-Korean projects on road and railway connections.

He emphasized that it is necessary for South Korea go ahead with the joint work fast, saying that serious challenges could arise if it falls behind other foreign countries' advances in a field where technology standards are of great importance. (Yonhap)