S. Korean minister to visit DPRK

The South Korean Unification Ministry said Monday that Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, who will step down from his Cabinet post in mid-December, will visit Mt. Kumgang in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday.

Lee will be the highest-ranking South Korean official to visit the DPRK since the DPRK conducted missile tests in July.

During his two-day visit, Lee is not planning to meet with DPRK officials, the ministry said.

Instead, Lee plans to meet with representatives from South Korean firms investing at Mt. Kumgang, such as Hyundai Asan, which is leading the development and management at the resort district, to encourage their contribution to the inter-Korean cooperation.

The Mt. Kumgang tourist program, launched in 1998, is a symbol of the inter-Korean economic cooperation.

Following the visit to Kumgang, Lee will visit the Inter-Korean Industrial Complex in DPRK's border city of Kaesong, local newspapers said.

Lee offered to resign on Oct. 25.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun appointed Lee Jae-joung, former lawmaker of the ruling Uri Party, to work as the unification minister on Nov. 1. Lee Jae-joung is expected to take office after Roh returns to Seoul on Dec. 13 from his 11-day overseas tour to Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.

Source: Xinhua