DHAKA: South Korean president Park Geun Hye announced on Tuesday the creation of a committee under her direct control to work out ‘systematic and constructive’ plans for reunification of the divided Korean peninsula.

The presidential committee will include experts from every sector of society and map out a blueprint for expanding inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges with a view to eventual unification.

‘For true peace... it is necessary to make preparations for reunification that will open a new era on the peninsula,’ she said in a national televised address to mark completion of her first year in office.

The speech coincided with a recent thaw in North-South ties, reflected in a six-day reunion for families divided by the Korean War, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1323 HRS, FEB 25, 2014