Seoul , South Korea ( CNN ) -- North and South Korea will hold a `` high-level meeting '' Wednesday ahead of planned family reunions of people from the two countries , Seoul said Tuesday . `` No agenda was set prior to this meeting , '' Kim Eui-do , a spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry said . `` But we expect that there will be comprehensive dialogue on the smooth operation of these family reunions , holding the family reunions on a regular basis and other important areas of interest . '' The talks will start Wednesday morning at the Panmunjom Peace House , which is on the South 's side of the heavily militarized border , Kim said . Pyongyang said last week it may back out of the reunions of the families -- who were separated by the Korean War in the 1950s -- if South Korean forces participate in annual joint military exercises with the United States later this month . The reunions of about 200 people -- 100 from each country -- are scheduled to take place between February 20 and 25 at a resort on the North 's side of the heavily militarized border . The annual military drills , which are due to start on February 24 , anger the North Korean regime , which says it views them as a prelude to an invasion . Last year , Pyongyang 's threatening rhetoric reached alarming levels during the exercises , heightening tensions in the region . South Korea and the United States have rejected the North 's calls for this year 's joint drills to be called off . In September , North Korea canceled a previous round of family reunions with only a few days notice , accusing Seoul of souring ties between the two countries . CNN 's K.J . Kwon reported from Seoul , and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong .
The talks will take place on the South Korean side of the border . There is no agenda for the meeting , but planned family reunions are likely to be held . North Korea has said it will pull out of the reunions , scheduled for later this month . It has asked South Korea not to participate in annual military drills with the United States .