(Reuters/Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-18 17:39

SEOUL - South Korea proposed that a summit with North Korea be held on October 2-4 following a request from Pyongyang to postpone the meeting originally planned for the end of this month, South Korea's YTN TV said on Saturday.

"The government has proposed to hold the summit on October 2-4," YTN said.

The inter-Korean Summit will be postponed to October 2 to 4 due to heavy flood in the Democratic People's Repbulic of Korea (DPRK), the DPRK's official news agency confirmed on Saturday.

The DPRK suggested the postponement of the Pyongyang visit by South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in a telephone message sent by the north side to the south side.

"The south side expressed profound sympathy with the flood damage...and expressed understanding of the above-said proposal and consented to it", said the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Both sides have agreed to hold the summit on October 2-4, said the KCNA.

YTN said Pyongyang had asked for the summit, the first in seven years, to be postponed because of flooding that has killed hundreds of people and made more than 300,000 homeless in the North.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was scheduled to visit Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on August 28-30 for what would be only the second summit between two countries which are still technically at war.

South Korea and DPRK announced on August 8 that South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun plans to visit Pyongyang on August 28-30 to hold a summit with top DPRK leader Kim Jong-il. The two sides agreed on Tuesday that Roh would make an overland trip to Pyongyang on the road linking Seoul and Pyongyang.