Hyundai chairwoman coordinating N.K. visit with former first lady

The chairwoman of Hyundai Group, a family-run shipping and tourism conglomerate, is working with former first lady Lee Hee-ho to jointly pay their respects to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, sources said Wednesday.

The company, which has extensive business interests in the socialist country, said it has begun talks so the two women can form a civilian condolence group to go to the communist country.

“There is a need to work out details on how many people will be included in the group and when the trip will be made,” a Hyundai source said. The executive, who declined to be identified, said talks are also needed to set a guideline on how to pay respects to the dead leader.

“Because Lee is former President Kim Dae-jung’s widow, the itinerary will be arranged to reflect her timetable,” he said. Once details are ironed out, he added, the plan will be submitted to the government for review.

Seoul on Tuesday officially expressed sympathy to the people of North Korea over the death of Kim, but the government decided not to send an official condolence delegation to the communist nation.

Kim’s death was announced by North Korea’s media on Monday.

Local policymakers, however, said family members of President Kim and late Hyundai Group chairman Chung Mong-hun, who died in 2003, will be permitted to pay condolence visits to the North because Pyongyang sent delegations to Seoul when Kim and Chung died.

North Korea has declared a 13-day mourning period through Dec. 29 from the day of Kim’s death on Saturday, while stating it will not accept foreign delegations at a state funeral set for Dec. 28 in Pyongyang.

Hyundai insiders, meanwhile, said no concrete progress has been made on when and how many people will go to North Korea, since Pyongyang has yet to invite South Koreans to mourn the death.

They added that due to anti-North Korean sentiment in South Korea, the company wants to keep the planned visit low profile.

North Korea was accused of sinking a South Korean Navy ship last year then shelled a border island, killing 50 people in total and leading to crippled cross-border relations already strained since conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office in early 2008.

Hyundai has invested around 770 billion won ($671 million) in various business ventures in North Korea, including the Kaesong industrial complex and Mount Kumgang tours. 

(Yonhap News)