 |
| Lee Hui-ho, center, and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-Eun, right, make a speech Monday in Paju, South Korea. |
STORY
HIGHLIGHTS
- The delegation arrives in Pyongyang, the North Korean state-run news agency says
- The group is led by a former first lady and Hyundai Group chairwoman
- The visit comes at a delicate point in relations between the two Koreas
- Pyongyang announced Kim Jong Il's death on December 19, putting the region on edge
Seoul (CNN)
-- A delegation of South Korean citizens arrived in Pyongyang on Monday to
express condolences over the death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the
North's state-run news agency reported.
The
18-member civilian delegation was led by Lee Hui-ho -- the widow of the former
South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his
efforts at nurturing reconciliation between the two Koreas -- and Hyun
Jeong-eun, the widow of Chung Mong-hun, the former chairman of Hyundai Group
who pushed for heavy industrial investments in the North.
"I
hope this helps improve North and South relations," Lee said in a
statement read by one of her aides prior to her departure at the border.
The visit
comes at a delicate point in relations between the two Koreas. The death of Kim
Jong Il, announced by Pyongyang on December 19, has put the region on edge, as
the world waits to see how the leadership succession will play out in the
secretive regime.
Seoul has
expressed its sympathy to the North Korean people and given the green light to
Lee and Hyun's group to visit the North. But it has said it will not send an
official delegation to pay respects to Kim Jong Il.
Pyongyang
had sent delegations to South Korea when the former president Kim and the
former Hyundai chairman Chung died in 2009 and 2003 respectively.
The South
Korean delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Monday, according to the Korean
Central News Agency, the North's official news agency, after passing through
the Kaesong Industrial Park, just to the north of the demilitarized zone that
separates the two countries.
The group's
members were scheduled to pay respects to the North Korean leader lying in
state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace and return the following day after
staying overnight in Pyongyang, according to the South Korean Unification
Ministry.
Lee's party
of 13 will stop to visit Kaesong, on the way back to Seoul, while Hyun's group
of five will return directly to Seoul on Tuesday, according to the ministry.
Speculation
is rife in the South Korean news media about whether the South Korean
delegation will meet Kim Jong Il's youngest son and chosen successor, Kim Jong
Un, during their visit.
Over the
weekend, the younger KIm was designated the "supreme commander" in an
editorial published in the country's main state newspaper, the state-run Korean
Central News Agency reported.
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.