Four South Korean ministers traveled to two western border islands on Saturday to solicit residents' opinions over a recent cross-border summit agreement to establish a maritime peace zone, Yonhap News reported quoting Seoul officials.

Song Young-moo, Kang Kyung-wha, Cho Myoung-gyon and Kim Young-choon, the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, unification and oceans, respectively, visited Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a de facto inter-Korean sea border.

Their trip is seen as Seoul's first step to enforce the summit agreement to devise a practical scheme to turn the areas around the NLL into a maritime peace zone to prevent accidental naval clashes and guarantee safe fishing activities.

During talks with islanders, the unification minister pledged to maintain close communication with them over the issue of the envisioned peace zone to be discussed at inter-Korean military talks.

"The peace waters will be zoned off through military talks with the North, and the ministries of unification, defense and oceans will have close consultations to devise a well-thought-out plan for it," Cho said.

Touching on the rare mention of the NLL in the joint inter-Korean declaration, Cho said it might signal a shift in the North's stance on the line.

"In the declaration, the North used the expression NLL as it is ... We cannot say yet that the North has recognized it, but I think there could be a shift in the North's attitude," he said.

"The basic premise is to keep the NLL intact," he added.