South Korea's unification minister in charge of inter-Korean affairs vowed Monday to create a virtuous cycle of strengthened peace through economic cooperation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said in his inaugural address that South Korea will solidify peace on the Korean Peninsula through economic cooperation with the DPRK, noting that the solidified peace will enhance inter-Korean economic cooperation.

Kim pledged to create and settle the virtuous cycle, saying the government should lay the firm foundation towards people's aspiration for the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas by developing and institutionalizing the inter-Korean relations.

The minister did not mention detailed economic cooperation projects, but the South Korean government has pushed for the resumption of two major inter-Korean projects -- the jointly-run industrial zone in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong and the South Koreans' tour to the DPRK's scenic Mount Kumgang.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex and the tours to Mount Kumgang have been suspended since 2016 and 2008 each.

Kim emphasized that what is important at the current point would be to advance the peninsula's peace trend, which started last year, into an irreversible stage.

He noted that the two Koreas should put an end to the unfortunate history of inter-Korean relations that stopped and went forward repeatedly.