Hyundai chief, ex-president's aides visit N. Korea

The chief of South Korea's Hyundai Group and officials of a center to commemorate former President Kim Dae-jung visited North Korea on Wednesday to meet with the North's point man on the South, officials said.

The two groups -- one comprised of six officials of the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center, including former culture minister Kim Sung-jae, and the other a seven-member delegation from Hyundai Group led by chief Hyun Jeong-eun -- made separate one-day trips to the joint industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong, according to officials of the two entities.

During the trips, the delegations plan to meet with Kim Yang-gon, director of the North's United Front Department in charge of South Korean affairs, who invited them to his country to express thanks to the South Korean delegations.

Last week, the South Korean officials visited the border city to deliver a wreath commemorating the communist country's late leader Kim Jong-il on the occasion of the third anniversary of his death. Kim Jong-il was the father of North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong-un.

The Seoul government, however, rejected Tuesday the request of Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, who was one of the closest aides to Kim Dae-jung, to cross the border again in a week, simply saying the decision is "in consideration of various situations."

Kim Yang-gon's invitation came as a surprise as the delegations had already been thanked by Won Dong-yon, the deputy head of North Korea's United Front Department and vice chairman of the Asia-Pacific Committee, during their visit last week.  

"I am making the trip as Kim Yang-gon hopes to thank me for sending the commemorative wreath. I think we will exchange well-wishing remarks," Hyun told reporters before heading to the North at around 11 a.m. 

Asked if she expected the two sides to touch upon the resumption of the now-suspended tour program to the North's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang during the meeting, she simply said, "Yes, I think so."

Hyundai Asan Co., a unit of Hyundai Group, operated the joint program for a decade before the program was halted in 2008 following the shooting death of a female South Korean tourist there.

While the communist country has expressed hope for the resumption, the Seoul government called on Pyongyang first to apologize for the deadly incident and to come up with measures to guarantee the safety of the Korean tourists.

The tour program had served as one of the few legitimate sources of revenue for the cash-strapped impoverished country.

Departing for Kaesong about an hour earlier, the delegation from the commemorative center also stressed that their trip was made "as the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly hopes to express thanks for the wreath sent by Lee Hee-ho." Lee is the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.

"I have nothing to comment on, but if there's something special after my meeting with Kim Yang-gon, I will speak to the media," the head of the delegation and the former culture minister Kim added.

Former President Kim held the first-ever inter-Korean summit with the then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize the same year.

In August, Pyongyang sent a wreath of flowers commemorating the fifth anniversary of the death of the late South Korean president. The exchange of visits came as government-level dialogue has been suspended amid strained inter-Korean ties. (Yonhap)