South Korea's top office says discussions on improving inter-Korean ties could take place after the initial dialogue with North Korea on the upcoming PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.

A presidential official told reporters Friday that the upcoming talks with Pyongyang will prioritize the issue of arranging North Korea's participation in the games.

He said the discussions would be open to other issues such as inter-Korean family reunions and military talks but quickly added that it is too early to tell how the dialogue will unfold.

On whether there could be a meeting of inter-Korean families during the Lunar New Year holiday this year, the official said it would be a time-consuming process that requires hefty preparations and that it is hard to say whether an agreement could be reached on that matter in the upcoming dialogue.