A delegation led by Kim Ki Nam, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) to mourn former ROK president Kim Dae-jung from Friday to Saturday, the official KCNA news said on Thursday.
The two-day visit was authorized by Kim Jong Il, top leader of the DPRK, the KCNA said. But the report didn't mention how the condolence delegation would manage to get to the ROK capital Seoul, as there was no direct traffic link due to the technically-unended war status between the two rival sides.
It was also unclear if the delegation would attend the ROK's state funeral in honor of the former president.
The visit from the north came as cross-border relations have become icy since Seoul's new conservative government took a tougher line with Pyongyang last year -- abandoning the so-called "sunshine" engagement policy adopted by Kim Dae-jung and his successor.
Kim died at 85 on Tuesday in hospital, after being admitted on July 13 with pneumonia and related complications.
He came to Pyongyang to hold a summit meeting with Kim Jong Il in June 2000, which won him a Nobel peace prize.
(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2009)
