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North Korea on Saturday asked South Korea to postpone the inter-Korean summit slated for Aug. 28-30 in Pyongyang until early October, citing severe flood damage sustained by the North, presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said.

In response, South Korea accepted the North's request and proposed holding the summit on Oct. 2-4 in the North Korean capital, Cheon said.

In a prompt reply, the North announced its agreement to the South's proposal, he said.

"North Korea sent a telephone message to the chief of the National Intelligence Service, Kim Man-bok, this morning, saying that it is forced to put off President Roh Moo-hyun's visit to Pyongyang from late August until early October, due to its urgent task to recover from heavy flood damage," said Cheon in a media briefing.

"Instead, the North left the decision on the specific date for the rescheduled summit up to the South. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency meeting Saturday afternoon and proposed rescheduling the summit to Oct. 2-4," Cheon said.

In the message, said Cheon, North Korea said it has endeavored to make President Roh's upcoming Pyongyang visit a success but is now faced with a more urgent task of recovering from its flood damage and stabilizing the people's livelihood.

"The North said its attitude towards the inter-Korean summit, as well as the previous inter-Korean agreements on summit procedures and protocol, would remain unchanged," said Cheon. SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap News)