Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan said Monday that Seoul has begun preparations for a new round of inter-Korean summit this year amid progress in the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula.

"Unless there are any unexpected obstacles, the inter-Korean summit will be possible this year," Lee told an interview with the daily Kyunghyang Shinmun.

Lee said he has submitted a proposal on the summit to South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and Roh issued a directive to his aides to study how to follow up on it.

The presidential office is currently studying a range of agenda items that the leaders of South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should discuss during the summit, Lee told the newspaper.

Roh has expressed his will to have the second inter-Korean summit if the process of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula makes progress.

DPRK on Friday announced it will shut down its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon as soon as it receives 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil sent by South Korea.

The first-ever Inter-Korean Summit was held in June 2000, when then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung launched a historic visit to Pyongyang and met with DPRK top leader Kim Jong-il.

Source: Xinhua