By Jun Ji-hye
Former first lady Lee Hee-ho, 93, will visit North Korea on Aug. 5, officials of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center said Monday.
The planned visit is raising hopes that tension on the peninsula will ease.
During a four-day trip, Lee is scheduled to visit children's and women's hospitals, and a child-care center in Pyongyang.
The decision was made during a meeting held between officials from the center and the North's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee in the North's city of Gaeseong.
Kim Sung-jae, a former culture minister and a center official, told reporters on his return to the South, "Kim Jong-un, the first chairman of the (North's) National Defense Commission, suggested a visit by flight considering Lee's health conditions, and Lee accepted it."
He said the two sides have yet to agree on whether the North sends a plane to the South, or Lee uses one from the South. When asked about whether Lee will meet with the young leader, he said that it depends on Pyongyang.
"We hope that Lee's visit will serve as a good occasion to help improve inter-Korean relations and promote cooperation," he said.
The government welcomed Lee's planned visit to the North.
"We fully support Lee's visit," said unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee.
Officials said the ministry is considering delivering a message from the government through Lee.
Lee was married to the late President Kim Dae-jung, and has sought to visit the repressive state for humanitarian purposes.
Last week, she voiced the hope that "the move could pave the way for alleviating tension in Seoul-Pyongyang relations."
Her late husband actively pushed his "sunshine" policy that called for cross-border exchanges and reconciliation. He held the first inter-Korean summit with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.
Lee's plan to visit the North comes at a time when Pyongyang has intensified its verbal attacks against the South after the United Nations opened an office in Seoul dedicated to investigating Pyongyang's state-perpetrated violations of human rights.
The North has threatened that the establishment of the office amounts to interference in its domestic affairs, and that it will take "merciless" measures.
Lee initially expressed her wish to visit the North last October, saying that she wanted to deliver knitted hats, scarves and clothes to North Korean children. But the plan was postponed due to the cold winter weather and problems with her health.
In December, she sent a wreath to the North to mark the third anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il.
In response, his son and current leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to Lee, saying that he will make every effort to realize unification between the two Koreas and that he was looking forward to hosting Lee in Pyongyang during 2015 once the weather became warmer.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
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| Lee Hee-ho |
The planned visit is raising hopes that tension on the peninsula will ease.
During a four-day trip, Lee is scheduled to visit children's and women's hospitals, and a child-care center in Pyongyang.
The decision was made during a meeting held between officials from the center and the North's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee in the North's city of Gaeseong.
Kim Sung-jae, a former culture minister and a center official, told reporters on his return to the South, "Kim Jong-un, the first chairman of the (North's) National Defense Commission, suggested a visit by flight considering Lee's health conditions, and Lee accepted it."
He said the two sides have yet to agree on whether the North sends a plane to the South, or Lee uses one from the South. When asked about whether Lee will meet with the young leader, he said that it depends on Pyongyang.
"We hope that Lee's visit will serve as a good occasion to help improve inter-Korean relations and promote cooperation," he said.
The government welcomed Lee's planned visit to the North.
"We fully support Lee's visit," said unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee.
Officials said the ministry is considering delivering a message from the government through Lee.
Lee was married to the late President Kim Dae-jung, and has sought to visit the repressive state for humanitarian purposes.
Last week, she voiced the hope that "the move could pave the way for alleviating tension in Seoul-Pyongyang relations."
Her late husband actively pushed his "sunshine" policy that called for cross-border exchanges and reconciliation. He held the first inter-Korean summit with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.
Lee's plan to visit the North comes at a time when Pyongyang has intensified its verbal attacks against the South after the United Nations opened an office in Seoul dedicated to investigating Pyongyang's state-perpetrated violations of human rights.
The North has threatened that the establishment of the office amounts to interference in its domestic affairs, and that it will take "merciless" measures.
Lee initially expressed her wish to visit the North last October, saying that she wanted to deliver knitted hats, scarves and clothes to North Korean children. But the plan was postponed due to the cold winter weather and problems with her health.
In December, she sent a wreath to the North to mark the third anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il.
In response, his son and current leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to Lee, saying that he will make every effort to realize unification between the two Koreas and that he was looking forward to hosting Lee in Pyongyang during 2015 once the weather became warmer.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
