North Korea has not yet responded to calls from South Korean nongovernmental organizations to hold a joint event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first-ever inter-Korean summit.

"In the beginning of this year, nongovernmental organizations proposed holding a joint event with North Korea, but the North has not responded yet," an official at the unification ministry told reporters Thursday.

The official added there are many challenges in organizing the event because of the coronavirus situation.

"The government is planning and organizing events for citizens to participate in, based on a few themes, such as peace in the Korean Peninsula," he said, without elaborating.

The two Koreas adopted a declaration for reconciliation and cooperation during the inter-Korean summit talks between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in June 2000.

South and North Korea held joint events to commemorate the summit from 2001 to 2008, but since 2009, the two Koreas have held events separately, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)