Red Cross officials of the two Koreas are expected to meet for the first time in nearly four months at an international meeting in China in July, a Seoul official said Tuesday.

The two Koreas, who have not been talking since their last round of Red Cross talks in March, will send delegations to the “East Asian regional Red Cross leadership meeting” which will be held in China’s Ordos City from July 5 through 7, according to the unnamed South Korean official.

“We are sending Secretary-General Kim Yong-hyun, while North Korea will be sending Paek Yong-ho, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Red Cross Society,” the Red Cross official said, asking not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media on the issue.

No plan has been set, however, for a separate meeting of the officials from the two Koreas, he added.

During this year’s meeting, also to be attended by five East Asian states including Japan and Mongolia, officials are expected to discuss cooperative efforts in dealing with the lingering radiation threat from the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan.

The East Asian Red Cross meeting is held every year to strengthen regional cooperation on humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

By Shin Hae-in (hayney@heraldcorp.com)