The government plans to assess the water resource situation in North Korea to prepare for the Korean reunification.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Monday that it placed a tender notice for research on Thursday in order to establish the long-term comprehensive plans on water resources for the 2016-2020 period.

The ministry said that the successful bidder will be commissioned to conduct research on North Korea’s river areas and its water use, reserve of water resources and related facilities.

The government will also ask the successful bidder to present plans to revise the law to enable South Korea to participate in the North’s future water resource projects.

The ministry said that it is the first time that the comprehensive plans include covering water resources in North Korea since the government established they were first drawn up in 1965.