South Korean delegation enters North to pay respects

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 Seoul has approved the group's visit but will not send an official delegation Pyongyang announced Kim Jong Il's death on December 19, putting the region on edge Seoul (CNN) -- A delegation of South Korean citizens left for North Korea on Monday morning, passing through the demilitarized
zone between the two countries to express condolences over the death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. 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 Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-Eun, whose husband and predecessor, Chung Mong-hun, had 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 condolences 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 was expected to arrive in Pyongyang around noon local time on Monday (10 p.m. Sunday, ET) and then attend a luncheon. Its 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. I hope this helps improve North and South relationsLee Hui-ho, widow of former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung Lee's party of 13 will stop to visit the Kaesong Industrial Park, just to the north of the demilitarized zone, 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 be greeted by 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. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}

South Korean delegation enters North to pay respects 2011-12-25T23:15:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Undercover 999