Senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol met with a visiting South Korean delegation in the DPRK capital on Thursday, the ROK press pool reported.

The meetings come amid a series of inter-Korean basketball games in Pyongyang, which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has not been able to attend, according to Kim Yong Chol, due to his travel schedule.

Kim Yong Chol met five South Korean government officials, including Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon, at 1020 local time at the Koryo Hotel.

The ROK side was reportedly informed of the meeting at the last minute, forcing Minister Cho to cancel plans