(2nd LD) N. Korean leader sends wreath to mark anniversary of former president's death
2014/08/17 21:49
SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's leader sent a wreath marking the fifth anniversary of the death of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung to a delegation visiting the communist country on Sunday.
The wreath presented by Kim Yang-gon, the head of the United Front Department of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, was sent by Kim Jong-un, who also forwarded a telegram of condolences to the five-person delegation made up of the president's son and close aides.
The contents of the telegram are not known but the wreath was signed by Kim Jong-un and inscribed with the words "in memory of former President Kim."
The handover took place at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, just north of the demilitarized zone that separates the two sides.
The joint industrial complex is viewed as one of the crowning achievements of inter-Korean rapprochement started by the former South Korean leader.
Among those who crossed into North Korea earlier in the day to receive the wreath were Kim Dae-jung's son Hong Up, a former lawmaker, Park Jie-won, a prominent lawmaker of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), and former Unification Minister Lim Dong-won.
Kim is respected in North Korea for his efforts to reconcile with the country. He held historic summit talks with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000. The former South Korean leader died in August 2009, while the North Korean dictator died in late 2011.
Park Jie-won (C) answers questions raised by reporters after returning to South Korea from the Kaesong Industrial Complex on Aug. 17, 2014. (Yonhap)
Park, who effectively led the delegation, said after returning from the North that Kim Yang-gon, Pyongyang's head of policy on inter-Korean relations, expressed dissatisfaction with South Korean President Park Geun-hye's Liberation Day address that urged Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions and become a responsible member of the international community.
Pyongyang, which first claimed it was not developing nuclear weapons, has made clear it will not give up its nuclear programs as long as Washington continues what it calls its policy of hostility. It has tested three nuclear devices since 2006.
"Kim stressed the need for resolve in leadership to implement outstanding issues (facing the two Koreas) without pre-conditions," the three term lawmaker said.
"The North, moreover, raised suspicions about other forms of cooperation in such areas as the environment, since the South Korean leader mentioned the need to resolve the nuclear issue," Park said.
In addition, the NPAD legislator said Kim was suspicious about Seoul calls for fresh talks just before the start of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) military exercise involving South Korean and U.S. troops.
"Kim said he could not understand why Seoul was taking issue with live-fire exercises conducted by Pyongyang when it was engaged in drills," Park said. He added that the North Korean official said there is a need to refrain from provocative action in order for an era of peace and reconciliation to unfold.
The lawmaker said Kim did not touch on restarting tours to Mount Kumgang, the lifting of the May 24 sanctions implemented after the sinking of a South Korean Navy ship in 2010 and the North's participation in the upcoming Incheon Asian Games.
South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles all inter-Korean affairs, approved the trip in advance after Pyongyang sent an invitation on Thursday. All trips by South Koreans to North Korea require the South Korean government's approval as well as the North's consent.
Despite efforts at reconciliation, the two Koreas are still technically in a state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Meanwhile, Park and other former aides who made the trip to the North had earlier visited Lee Hee-ho, President Kim's widow, who expressed hope that the latest trip will help bring about reconciliation between the two sides. She also said it would be nice if South Korea sent a wreath commemorating the passing of Kim Jong-il, the incumbent North Korean leader's father.
The latest trip comes amid tensions over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
On Friday, North Korea vowed to continually test-fire rockets in what it called a powerful show of force against South Korea and the United States, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said, citing a senior official handling the country's rocket research.
It then blasted the joint UFG exercises set to kick off Monday, warning that it will conduct pre-emptive strikes against all forms of aggression.
Seoul has warned Pyongyang that any kind of provocation will be met with an immediate response.
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