The South Korean government began full-scale work Thursday to introduce legislation on preparing for the peaceful reunification of Korea, an official said, despite heightened tensions on the peninsula.

The Unification Ministry announced advance legislation notice for the bill aimed at laying the institutional groundwork for unification, he told reporters.

It calls for the establishment of a foundation to lead efforts to broaden public support for unification, he added.

The bill presents three pillars of a push for unification -- public consensus, trust between the two Koreas, and cooperation with the international community.

The ministry, in charge of North Korea affairs, unveiled the plan for the legislation in its policy report to President Park Geun-hye in January.

Inter-Korean ties have worsened with the North's land mine attack on South Korean soldiers along the border in early August. (Yonhap)