South Korean and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s military officers held working-level contacts Thursday to discuss measures to secure cross-borderpassage across the inter-Korean border, the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a news release.

Thursday's talks took place at two different locations on the Military Demarcation Line which divides the Korean Peninsula -- one on the western section and the other on the eastern section, according to the release.

The delegations of the two countries, each led by a Lieutenant Colonel, discussed ways to improve overland passage to an industrial park being built near the DPRK's western border town of Kaesong and to the tourism development at the DPRK's scenic Mount Geumgang in the east, the release said.

But the release did not elaborate on the content of the talks.

The talks are the first ones of their kind since the DPRK canceled inter-Korean military working-level contact in July, protesting South Korean navy's firing of warning shots at a DPRK vessel off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula and South Korean government's prohibition of its citizens to visit Pyongyang to attend events marking the 10th anniversary of the demise of the DPRK's founding leader Kim Il Sung.

In early June, the two countries held first ever general-grade military meeting and agreed to ease tension along their border, such as the thorough dismantlement of propaganda billboards and loudspeaker networks.

However, since July, many of the tension-reduction steps have stalled, due to a deadlock over other inter-Korean matters.