Maestro Chung to visit N. Korea

South Korean maestro Chung Myung-whun is likely to visit Pyongyang during the Chuseok holidays, the Unification Ministry here said Friday.

Chung, music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and also Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF has asked the government to approve of his trip to North Korea Sept. 11-16 and the ministry is “positively reviewing” the request, a ministry spokesman said.

“Maestro Chung wants to visit the North for children’s music education and performance purposes,” spokesman Chun Hae-sung said.

It would be the second government approval of South Koreans visiting North Korea for cultural exchange purposes since May, when Seoul announced a set of hostile measures toward Pyongyang for its naval attacks.

By Shin Hae-in (hayney@heraldcorp.com)