South and North Korea are said to be open to upgrading the level of their representation in the event mutual disagreements are not resolved at the upcoming vice-ministerial meeting next month. 

A South Korean government official said Friday that it was the shared view at the working-level meeting Thursday.

The official said Seoul may be represented by its senior presidential secretary for security and the unification minister, in which case Pyongyang will send the director of its military's General Political Bureau and chief of the United Front Department.  

During the working-level talks on Thursday, North Korea proposed boosting civilian exchanges, such as in sports, in addition to resuming South Korean tours to the North's Mount Geumgang resort. But the North is not known to have brought up issues related to humanitarian assistance including food and fertilizer aid. 

During Thursday's talks, Pyongyang is also known not to have objected to Seoul's view that it's urgent to fundamentally resolve the issue of separated families.