 Lee Hee-ho, third from left, widow of former President Kim Dae-jung and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, left, and their entourage arrive in Gaeseong, North Korea, Monday. They crossed the heavily fortified border into the North to pay their respects to the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. / AFP-Yonhap |
By Kim Young-jin
Former first lady Lee Hee-ho and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun met with new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, Monday, offering condolences for the recent death of his late father Kim Jong-il, according to officials in Seoul.
The meeting was Kim Jong-un’s first with South Koreans and came a week after the announcement of the late ruler’s death.
The two South Koreans expressed deep condolences to Kim after paying their final respects to his father, lying in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, a unification ministry official said. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the new leader responded with “deep appreciation.”
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said news of the meeting was passed on by Hyundai Asan, the arm of Hyundai that operates inter-Korean projects. No other details were immediately available.
Lee, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung and Hyun travelled with their delegations across the inter-Korean border on a two-day trip. Theirs was the only visit to the North permitted by Seoul on the occasion of the senior Kim’s death.
Lee expressed in a guestbook her hope for eventual unification in the spirit of the joint June 15, 2000 Korean Declaration signed by her husband and Kim Jong-il, the North Korean report said. Hyun expressed gratitude for the late leader’s reconciliatory efforts.
The delegations had a luncheon meeting with North Korean officials, the ministry said, without elaborating.
Kim’s exchange with the South Koreans, who did not travel in an official capacity, underscored his growing role over affairs as he secures power over the regime. The Stalinist state elevated him as successor following the Dec. 19 announcement of his father’s death from a heart attack.
``I hope our trip will help improve South-North Korean ties,'' Lee, 90, said through an aide before the groups crossed the border.
Seoul has acted cautiously since Kim’s death, expressing sympathy to the North Korean people but allowing only the two groups to travel northward.
Pyongyang slammed Seoul for restricting citizens from paying their respects, saying the move could lead to ``catastrophic consequences'' for cross-border ties. Tensions still simmer after the North launched two deadly attacks in 2010.
The Lee Myung-bak administration approved of the trip because the North sent condolence delegations after the deaths of President Kim and Chung Mong-hun, Hyun's late husband and former Hyundai Group chairman.
Kim famously implemented the “Sunshine Policy” of engagement aimed at fostering rapprochement while Chung pushed for economic cooperation between the technically warring sides.
Pyongyang appeared to treat the delegations well, putting them up at the Baekhwawon Guest House where honored guests have stayed in the past, an aide to Lee said. They were escorted by Ri Jong-hyuk, vice chairman of North Korea's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee in charge of inter-Korean relations.
The late Presidents Kim and Roh Moo-hyun both stayed at the lodge when they held summits in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007 respectively. Hyun stayed there after visiting for talks on an inter-Korean tourism project four years ago.
The groups are expected to return today with the delegation led by Lee visiting the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. The North will hold a funeral service for the late leader Wednesday before wrapping up an official mourning period with a memorial the following day.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang’s state media continued to build support for the new leader, hinting he was leading the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, a key decision-making organ.
The official Rodong Sinmun said North Korean soldiers were rallying ``to protect the party's Central Committee headed by respected comrade Kim Jong-un,'' AP reported.
This followed references to Kim, thought to be in his late 20s, as the ``supreme leader of the revolutionary armed forces.”
State media has also shown his uncle-in-law, Jang Song-thaek, dressed in a general’s uniform, suggesting a key role for the influential power broker.
Analysts say Jang will play the role of regent as Jong-un attempts to earn top party and military posts to secure his unquestioned leadership.
The death of the longtime strongman has left huge questions over the future of inter-Korean relations. While some say it offers a ray of hope for reconciliation, others project the new regime may continue in his footsteps in order to maintain the Kim family’s authoritarian rule.
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