SEOUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) reached an agreement on Tuesday to launch cooperation in industry.

    The agreement came after a four-day inter-Korean economic talksin South Korea's southern island of Jeju.

    South Korea will provide industrial materials worth 80 million U.S. dollars to the DPRK from August to cooperate with Pyongyang in shoe, garment and soap industries, while Pyongyang allows South Korea to develop natural resources, minerals and others with economic value in DPRK, the Yonhap News quoted Kim Chun-sig, spokesman for the South Korean delegation, as saying.

    However, Kim said "the accord on the South-North cooperation inlight industry and natural resource development will not become effective unless a military agreement is reached and the railroad tests are conducted."

    The assistance would be made as a commercial loan to be repaid starting from this year, Kim said in a press briefing.

    The two sides agreed to hold talks in the DPRK's border city ofKaesong on June 26-27 to discuss establishing an early warning system for the periodic flooding of shared areas near the borderline Imjin River, the agreement said.

    A new round of talks between working-level officials will be launched on June 20-21 to discuss ways to speed up the developmentof a joint industrial complex in Kaesong, where 13 South Korean companies are making products with 6,500 DPRK employees, it said. Enditem