The presidential committee tasked with preparing for a possible unification with North Korea plans to complete their mission in the next two to three years, its vice chief said Tuesday.

The committee, headed by President Park Geun-hye, completed its preliminary examination of a three-step road map last year and plans to put it in action in the near future, Vice Chairman Chung Chong-wook said in a special lecture to lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party.

"Our plan is to finish the unification preparatory work in the following two to three years," the vice chairman said, referring to the three years the Park government has left in office.

Under the road map, the committee plans to convene public hearings starting in late March on an envisioned unification charter as well as on ways to unify the countries.

The panel will also host expositions on unification and create an award program in the unification field, Chung noted.

In addition, he vowed to widen inter-Korean relations, saying that "as this year marks the historic 70th anniversary of (Korea's) independence (from Japan's colonial rule), efforts will be made for South and North Koreas to open up channels of communication and to continue their relations in an improved manner."

South Korea launched the 50-member committee in July last year, which includes the unification minister, foreign minister, five other ministers, the heads of state-run think tanks and 30 private experts.

In Dresden, Germany, last year, Park unveiled her vision to lay the groundwork for a future unification of two Koreas which technically remain at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.

Despite the unification vision, inter-Korean relations remain severely soured with Pyongyang staying silent in response to Seoul's December proposal for high-level inter-Korean talks. (Yonhap)