South Korea reiterated Friday that it is supportive of a civic group's move to hold a joint event with North Korea to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule but only if it isn't for a "political purpose."

The South's preparatory group of the joint anniversary visited North Korea on Thursday to discuss the preparations for the event to jointly celebrate Liberation Day that falls on Aug. 15.

But the two sides failed to reach an agreement over details and agreed to hold another round of talks in the North's border city of Kaesong next Friday.

Jeong Joon-hee, spokesman at the Unification Ministry, said that Seoul plans to decide whether to approve the event after next week's talks.

"The government maintains its stance that it is not easy to approve civilian inter-Korean exchanges that can spark political rows as they could hamper inter-Korean relations," Jeong told a regular press briefing.

North Korea has a tendency to use outsiders' visits for propaganda.

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.

This time, the South's civic group proposed that the two sides hold anniversary events in both Seoul and Pyongyang and each other's representatives visit the other's event venue.

The South's group said that North Korea has officially invited it to take part in the North's events in Pyongyang and the truce village of Panmunjom from Aug. 13-15.

It said that it will decide its stance after discussing the matter with its officials and the government.

Touching on an ex-first lady's planned visit to the North, Jeong said that an organizer for the trip has not requested the government to provide financial support.

Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, plans to fly to North Korea on Aug. 5 for a four-day trip, in hopes of improving the strained inter-Korean ties. Kim held an inter-Korean summit with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.

"The Kim Dae Jung Peace Center is known to be seeking to settle the financing for the trip without outside help," the spokesman said.

The ex-first lady is likely to use a South Korean aircraft, said an official at the center, adding that it is in talks with domestic airlines. (Yonhap)