Civilian exchanges between South and North Korea are expanding rapidly as Pyongyang has shown some indications of a positive shift in its policy direction, a top official here said Thursday.
  

Vice Unification Minister Hwang Boo-gi held out expectations that inter-Korean ties in the civilian sector will soon return to levels experienced in the early months of the previous government.
  

The Lee Myung-bak administration's drive for improved relations with North Korea came to a halt when a South Korean woman was killed by a North Korean soldier while she was visiting Mount. Kumgang in July 2008. Speaking at a forum in Seoul, Hwang cited the Aug. 25 inter-Korean deal as a turning point. The two Koreas managed to end a military crisis with the agreement reached at rare high-level talks.
  

The North initially wanted to talk selectively about issues of its own concern but "currently, the field (of exchanges) has expanded to religion, sports, and culture," according to the number two official in the ministry handling daily inter-Korean affairs.
  

"Several (South Korean) teams are now visiting North Korea in connection with inter-Korean exchange," said Hwang. "I think North Korea is making the right choice in a sense."
  

The North has not fired a long-range rocket as it had previously threatened. Its leader Kim Jong-un placed an emphasis on the livelihood of the people in his speech on the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the country's communist party, Hwang noted.
  

The North's negative view of the South's humanitarian aid has subsided to some extent, he added.
  

The two sides are also scheduled to resume a family reunion event next week at Mount Kumgang along the North's east coast. Hundreds of Koreans will meet their long-lost family members who live on opposite sides of the tightly-controlled border.
  

"According to the analysis of North Korean media's reports, Kim made a lot of public activities related to the military at an early stage. Of late, however, more than half of his activities are associated with the economy," Hwang pointed out. (Yonhap)