South and North Korea have agreed to form a joint team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Chung Se-hyun, chairman of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, said he reached the agreement in talks with North Korean sports officials in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

Chung, who is accompanying President Roh Moo-hyun in Pyongyang, says the unified team will consist of half North and half South Korean athletes. He added that the two sides will continue to discuss details about the single team.

Kim Jong-gil, chairman of Seoul's Korea Sports Council, proposed to the North that the torch for the 2008 Olympics be carried across the inter-Korean border on its way to Beijing, the same route President Roh took on his visit to Pyongyang on Tuesday.

However, North Korea has not replied to the proposal yet.