hankyoreh

By Kim Kyu-won, Staff Writer

North Korea said Thursday it would allow a delegation of mourners to come to North Korea by land. The delegation will include Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun.
An official with Ministry of Unification reported that Pyongyang agreed with the delegation’s overland visit.
South Korean government is actively considering the inclusion of a Ministry of Unification official at the bureau director level in the delegation. Analysts are interpreting this as an effort to create an official channel for dialogue with Pyongyang through so-called "condolence diplomacy."
A Ministry of Unification official said Thursday that “at least two to three people need to accompany [Lee and Hyun], if only to handle practical duties.”
“We are also considering whether to have a department or bureau director go as an official to handle any new situations that emerge," the official added.
The government initially planned to keep the entourage as small as possible, restricting it to a working-level official such as liaison officer in order to ensure the safety of the private delegation. But a decision was subsequently made to upgrade the status of the official from liaison group head to a Level 3 deputy commissioner, such as a bureau director or senior department director.
The decision has observers focusing on whether a channel for inter-Korean dialogue will be made official and whether a meeting might take place among North and South Korean authorities.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]