Co-operation between North and South, which have remained technically at war since the inconclusive truce which halted the 1950-53 Korean conflict, is laced in symbolism. This will be their first official zoo animal exchange.

The North was to send 16 animals, including Asiatic black bears, lynx, coyotes, African ponies and Siberian weasels, zoo officials said.

The South would send 10, including hippopotamuses, red kangaroos, wallabies, guanacos and llamas, they added.

The eight black bears from the North are to be used for breeding purposes to help repopulate the species in the South and the other animals will go on display.

"Coyotes are rarely seen in the South. It will be a new experience for zoo visitors here to see them," Lee Won-hyo, the director-general of Seoul Grand Park Zoo, said by telephone.

The animals from the North must undergo a quarantine inspection before crossing over.