The one-day meeting at eastern South Korea's Mount Seorak resort began after a North Korean delegation led by Rear Admiral An Ik-San traveled across the inter-Korean buffer zone, pool reports said.

South Korean delegates said the meeting would focus on measures to prevent armed clashes in the Yellow Sea.

"The prevention of armed clashes in the West Sea will be the most important topic and the two sides will put weight on it," South Korean spokesman Colonel Moon Sung-Mook said earlier.

The two sides are still technically in conflict since the Korean War ended in a fragile armistice rather than a peace treaty. North Korea's 1.1 million-strong army faces off against South Korea's 690,000 troops backed by 37,000 US soldiers.

Inter-Korean relations have been disrupted in the past by naval skirmishes in the rich fishing grounds off the western coast during the May-June crab season.

The first inter-Korean military meeting a week ago failed to produce agreement after North Korea insisted the two sides first stop propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border.

South Korea wants both navies to set up a hotline, share a radio frequency and use the same flag signals as measures to avoid maritime skirmishes.

"It is difficult to predict the talks will produce some agreements. But we are to going to the talks with hope, as it is a second session. We will make efforts," Moon said.