SEOUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Unification Ministry said Friday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will participate the upcoming inter-Korean ministerial talks next week.

"The North (DPRK) said Friday it will send a total of 26 people, including a five-member delegation to the talks, to Seoul via direct flight on a chartered Koryo Air plane over the West Sea," said Kim Nam-shik, spokesman for the ministry.

The ministerial talks, which will be the 21st in its kinds since the historic Inter-Korean Summit in 2000, was scheduled for May 29 to June 1 at Grand Hilton Hotel in downtown Seoul.

South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and his DPRK counterpart Kwon Ho-ung are expected to discuss issues including humanitarian aids to Pyongyang and economic cooperation between the two sides.