The South Korean government has approved plans for the nation¡¯s most prestigious institution to open talks on student exchanges with North Korea¡¯s Kim Il Sung University, according to reports.

South Korea¡¯s Ministry of Unification gave the green light?for students at Seoul National University to contact North Korean counterparts, according to students at the institution, .

¡°The approval, coming amid increasingly warming ties between the two Koreas, could pave the way for the school¡¯s first student exchanges with a North Korean university since its foundation in 1946,¡± it added.

The SNU students have started a ¡°promotion committee for inter-Korean exchanges¡± with the university¡¯s council and filed a request with the ministry in May.

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¡°After the ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, approved its plan, the SNU committee said it will send a fax message to the Pyongyang-based Kim Il Sung University as early as next week to begin discussions on student exchanges,¡± Yonhap reported.

Exchange programmes could include ¡°joint exploration of historical sites in Pyongyang by students from both universities¡±, the students are expected to suggest. About 100 SNU students are reported to want to take part in exchanges with the North.

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The move comes after a warming of relations between the two countries and the historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US president Donald Trump.

john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com