SEOUL - The Republic of Korea agreed Thursday to a proposal by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for official talks.

The Ministry of Unification said in statement that the ROK's government views the latest proposal by the DPRK in a positive light.

"We hope the talks will become an opportunity to help forge trust," the statement said.

Earlier in the day , the DPRK proposed holding talks with the ROK on issues including the normalization of the operation in the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ) and the resumption of tour of Mt. Kumgang, the official KCNA news agency reported.

The proposal was made by the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) in a special statement issued by its spokesman.

"We propose holding talks between authorities of the north and the south for the normalization of the operation in the KIZ and the resumption of tour of Mt. Kumgang on the occasion of the anniversary of the June 15 joint declaration," said the statement.

The June 15 declaration was issued at the historic 2000 summit meeting between late ROK's President Kim Dae-jung and DPRK leader Kim Jong-il. It led to a period of rapprochement between the two sides that saw large scale bilateral cooperation and the promotion of economic ties.

In the statement, the CPRK also proposed realizing joint events to mark the 13th anniversary of the June 15 declaration and jointly commemorating the 41st anniversary of the July 4 joint statement on peaceful reunification in the presence of the authorities of both sides.