A group of South Korean government officials, politicians, civic and religious leaders will visit Pyongyang this week to jointly mark the 11th anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit for the first time, the unification ministry said Tuesday.
The delegation of about 150 people led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan will leave for North Korea Thursday using the western direct air route and stay for three days, according to the ministry.
They will join events to celebrate the 11th anniversary of the 2007 summit held in Pyongyang between then-South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The leaders adopted the October 4 Declaration after the summit.
(Yonhap)
The joint celebration is the first of its kind since the declaration, which called for the two Koreas to cooperate on building mutual trust, easing tensions and fostering inter-Korean economic cooperation.
During the three-day trip, the delegation, including those from the art and cultural sectors, will tour major facilities in the North and attend performances, a ministry official said.
Also included in the delegation is late former president Roh's son, Geon-ho. But Roh's wife, Kwon Yang-suk, was not included due to her schedule.
On the sidelines, the two Koreas are expected to hold government-level talks to discuss follow-up measures on the agreement their leaders reached in their September summit in Pyongyang.
The Seoul government does not view the money to be spent on the South Korean delegation's trip to the North as a violation of global sanctions on its regime, though it said that close talks have been under way with the United States on the matter.
The joint celebration comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's third meeting this year, in which they agreed to mark the summit anniversary with "meaningful" events. (Yonhap)
