Opposition lawmaker visits North to deliver wreath

Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) answers questions from the reporters at the inter-Korean transit office in the South Korean border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, prior to his visit to North Korea. Tuesday. / Yonhap

By Kim Hyo-jin

An opposition lawmaker delivered the floral tribute from an ex-first lady to North Korea to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of North’s late leader Kim Jong-il, Tuesday.

Park Jie-won of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), accompanied by a seven-member delegation from the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, handed over the wreath at the inter-Korean industrial complex in Gaeseong.

“The visit is to pay our respects from a humanitarian perspective. Its meaning should not be overstreched,” Park said at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine office in the border city of Paju, prior to the visit.

Won Dong-yon, the deputy head of North Korea's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, welcomed the party.

The wreath was sent in the name of Lee Hee-ho, wife of the late President Kim Dae-jung, the creator of the “Sunshine Policy” that advocated South Korea’s engagement with the North. Rep. Park who delivered the wreath was a close aide to the late Kim, and was a key figure in the first inter-Korean summit in 2000.

“Lee said she hoped to deliver the wreath to help contribute to improving relations between the South and North,” Park said, adding that he too hoped that the visit could be a breakthrough in frozen inter-Korean relations.

North Korea conveyed a wreath to a South Korean delegation led by Rep. Park in August to mark the fifth anniversary of the late President Kim’s death.

A spokesman at the Ministry of Unification said at après briefing Monday, “The government approved the Park’s trip to North Korea in consideration that the delivering of the wreath is to reciprocate the North's wreath in August.”

Meanwhile, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party Lee Wan-gu said during a party meeting, Tuesday, “I suggest we view the government’ approval of the visit from a balanced perspective, seeing the big picture of inter-Korean relations.”

The comment was made in response to the party’s lawmaker Lee Jang-woo criticizing the government for permitting Park’s visit to the North.