By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter

The two Koreas failed to produce an agreement on the resumption of cross-border family reunions, Friday, with the North linking it to the provision of humanitarian aid.

They held an extensive meeting in Gaesong, north of the border, but fell short of striking a deal, a South Korean official said.

Pyongyang demanded Seoul provide humanitarian aid in exchange for the resumption of reunions. In response, the South responded that it would "consider" the proposal.

The conservative Lee Myung-bak administration has in principle halted humanitarian aid to the North since 2008, when Lee took office.

An official of the Ministry of Unification said, "The North wasn't specific about aid items or amount, but wanted the South to be generous."

With the discontinuation of aid, the North has been suffering from food and supply shortages recently.

Asked about future steps against the North's demands, the official said the South is basically willing to provide humanitarian aid. But when the amount is significant, the government needs to carry out more studies, he added.

Kim Eyi-do, senior policy cooperation officer at the unification ministry, and Kim Seong-kuen from South Korea's Red Cross attended the one-day working-level meeting, trying to persuade the North to resume the family reunion as early as November.

Four hundred separated families met in North Korea in September, the first time in 23 months following a suspension. The two sides agreed to keep their communication channels open.

skim@koreatimes.co.kr