Former South Korean first lady heads North for condolence

Former first lady Lee Hee-ho (L), which accompanied widow of late South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jung-Eun of officials, left for Pyongyang, for the honour of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died in the CIQ (immigration, customs and quarantine) Office, South of the demilitarisierten zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in Paju, North of Seoul, 26 December 2011.
IMG credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-hoon
By ju-min Park

PAJU, South Korea (Reuters) - the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, the author of a political commitment now overboard thrown with North Korea, crossed the fortified land border between the two sides on Monday of their honor late dictator Kim Jong-il.

Relations between North and South have frozen Myung-bak Lee since the election of conservative South Korean President in 2008, to force the aid in a bid to give up a nuclear program in the North and to bring to the negotiating table.

A 13-member delegation headed by Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-Jung, who masterminded the border crossed the so-called "sunshine policy" of engagement with the North by car and pay their respects at the bier of Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.

"I hope, my visit to North Korea helps to improve South-North Korea relations" Yoon-chul-Koo, an adviser to Lee, quoted them at an Immigration Office on the southern edge of the de-militarized zone.
Lee, who met Kim Jong-il in Pyongynag in the year 2000 in the first inter-Korean Summit since the end of 1953 the Korea war, remain for two days and not the December 28 funeral will take part.

The most South Koreans are banned, from the North under the current policy of the Government and the Republic of Korea, which is technically at war with the North, no official delegation to Kim, is to complain about, who died earlier this month to send.

Was asked by reporters at the crossroads of whether North Korea's delegation wants to comply with new leader Kim Jong-un, Yoon, said the visit for "pure condolence."

Kim Jong-un, who is in his late 20s, is the third of his line to rule impoverished in the North, although he makes likely parts with a clique is.

A second group of grieving from South Korea led by the widow of a South Korea's largest conglomerates, investment in the North in Pyongyang launched.

Hyun Jeong-Eun, the wife of the Hyundai business group, late former Chairman Chung Mong-Hun, led a delegation of five people.

Hyun father-in-law was Hyundai founder Chung Ju-Yung, who in 1999 founded as one of the largest investors in the North Korea's Kumgang mountain tourist resort Busness Hyundai Asan Corp.

The business was exposed to a South Korean tourist resort since the fatal shooting in 2008.
Hyundai Asan project is Kaesong industrial park in the North, some sources of foreign currency in an impoverished North.

(Reporting by ju-min Park;) (Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)