South Korea will seek to improve strained inter-Korean ties by further encouraging its civilian groups to increase exchanges with North Korea, a Unification Ministry official said Thursday.
  

Seoul has said that it will promote civilian inter-Korean exchanges in the landmark year of 2015 in non-political areas such as cultural activities and sports if they can help promote national unity.
  

"South Korea is making efforts to open the gate for better inter-Korean relations by promoting more civilian exchanges with North Korea," said the ministry official, asking not to be named.
  

"In that sense, the government has approved a civic group's request to visit the North for discussions over a joint anniversary celebration," he said.
  

A South Korean civic group crossed the inter-Korean border on Thursday to have preparatory talks with its North Korean counterpart for discussions on a joint event on Aug. 15 to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
  

The Seoul-Pyongyang ties have been frayed amid the North's provocative acts such as nuclear and missile tests, but Seoul is making efforts to use this year to enhance the ties as 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation and a division of the two Koreas.
  

In June, the two Koreas failed to hold a joint ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of an inter-Korean summit as the North abruptly proposed holding separate events. It is not clear whether the August joint event can be held.
  

"The government plans to actively support civic groups' move to increase exchanges with North Korea," the official said.
  

The official, meanwhile, said the government shared the need to upgrade the current working-level talks on a joint industrial complex to high-level talks.
  

The two Koreas held talks on a joint committee running Kaesong Industrial Complex last week to discuss a dispute sparked by the North's unilateral decision to hike wages. But they failed to produce breakthrough over the months-long wage row.
  

"The wage issue should be resolved as soon as possible," the official said.
  

He also said that the government is open to having possible inter-Korean contacts behind closed doors to improve the strained ties. (Yonhap)