hankyoreh

widow of former President Kim Dae-jung

Lee Hee-ho, widow of late former President Kim Dae-jung will cross the military demarcation line on an overland journey to Pyongyang, North Korea.

There has been much speculation about whether Lee will meet Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, and North Korea seems to be hinting that this is possible. However, it is unclear whether Lee’s visit to North Korea will take place this year.

Kim Seong-jae, director of the Kim Dae-jung Academy (and former Culture Minister) met with reporters at the Dorasan immigration checkpoint in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 21. Kim was returning from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, where he had met North Korean officials to discuss Lee’s visit to Pyongyang.

“In regard to how she will get to North Korea, we agreed on the overland route. For accommodations, we arranged for Lee to stay at the Baekhwawon State Guesthouse, where she also stayed on two previous visits,” Kim told reporters.

“North Korea also said that it would allow Lee to visit two preschools in Pyongyang,” he added.

meets Kim Jong-un after a memorial ceremony for deceased former leader Kim Jong-il

However, no agreement was reached about when Lee would visit North Korea. “At the close of today’s meeting, both sides agreed to hold a second round of working-level talks after reporting and discussing today’s results with each government,” Kim said.

Discussion of Lee’s visit to Pyongyang began in August, when North Korean officials delivered a floral wreath to the Kaesong Industrial Complex in memory of Kim Dae-jung, who passed away five years ago. At the time, Kim Yang-gon, Director of North Korea’s United Front Department, mentioned that Kim Jong-un’s invitation for Lee to visit the North was still standing.

When Lee visited North Korea in Dec. 2011 to offer her condolences to Kim Jong-un after the death of his father and former leader Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader invited her to return to the North at a future date.

The biggest question is whether Lee will meet Kim on this trip to North Korea. Kim Seong-jae, who represented Lee during the working-level talks on Nov. 21, said that he had officially requested that Lee have a chance to meet Kim. Reportedly, North Korea did not provide a definite answer.

However, North Korean officials did make several comments that can be read as encouraging signals. Won Dong-yon, vice chair of North Korea’s Asia Pacific Peace Commission and the head of the North’s delegation to the working-level talks, said, “I am here to honor the wishes of our leader,” a suggestive remark.

In a telephone conversation with the Hankyoreh, Kim Seong-jae said, “During the meeting, Won said that he was there to honor the wishes of the leader, and he also said that they welcomed Lee’s visit to Pyongyang. We also confirmed that Lee will be staying at the Baekhwawon State Guesthouse. We didn’t get a definite answer, but I could get a sense of what was going on during the conversation.”

During the meeting, the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the timing. Lee is reportedly concerned that if North Korea invites her to visit in December, the period of mourning for Kim Jong-il, Lee could provoke the ire of conservative groups who could accuse her of honoring Kim Jong-il, which would distract from the purpose of her visit.

However, Kim said that the two sides had not had a disagreement about the timing of Lee’s visit. “In regard to the timing, the North Koreans said that they wanted Lee to visit as soon as possible, but they suggested that we find out what the South Korean government thinks about it first,” Kim said.

“Since it’s the winter, we proposed deciding on the schedule after first discussing Lee’s health with her doctors, and the North Koreans agreed to that,” he added.

“Around the beginning of next week, we are planning to contact North Korea again about the second round of working-level talks. For now, we are not leaning toward any particular schedule. Lee’s opinion is important,” Kim said.

But since practically speaking Lee will probably not be able to visit North Korea before the end of November, there is a high likelihood that Lee’s visit to the North will be scheduled for next year to avoid the quarreling that a visit in December could cause.

By Son Won-je, staff reporter

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