The Unification Ministry has called on North Korea to reconsider a South Korean humanitarian aid group's request for a cross-border visit.

Unification Ministry Spokesman Lee Duk-haeng on Wednesday addressed the North's refusal for the visit, reiterating Seoul's position for improved inter-Korean ties.

Lee also told reporters that the ministry will review the prospect for an inter-Korean meeting in Pyongyang by the two sides' committees for the joint implementation of the June 15th Summit Declaration.

The South's committee is expected to request a cross-border visit after its northern counterpart on Monday counteroffered to hold the inter-Korean meeting in the North Korean capital city

The committees were formed in 2005 to carry out the agreements reached at the first inter-Korean summit on June 15th, 2000, which produced a landmark declaration outlining inter-Korean reconciliation and economic cooperation.

Lee said the ministry will take into account the visit’s purpose and its effect on improving inter-Korean ties.