N. Korea says it will accept all S. Korean condolence delegations

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday it will accept all condolence delegations from South Korea over the demise of its leader Kim Jong-il. North Korean authorities have taken steps to accept South Korean delegations through the land border or by air, the North Korean Web site Uriminzokkiri said. "The convenience and safety of South Korean condolence delegations will be fully guaranteed," the official Web site said. Still, Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik told lawmakers on Friday that South Korea will not expand civilian delegations beyond those of two high-profile women who have ties with North Korea. Two separate delegations led by Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun and former first lady Lee Hee-ho have been in talks with the South Korean government to work out details of their trips. Hyun and Lee may meet with North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of the late leader, during their stay in Pyongyang in what could be Kim's the first encounter with South Koreans. South Korea made the decision because North Korea sent separate condolence delegations to Seoul after the deaths of President Kim Dae-jung, Lee's late husband, and Chung Mong-hun, Hyun's late husband and former Hyundai Group chairman. All trips to North Korea by South Koreans require prior approval as the Koreas remain in a technical state of war following a cease-fire at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Also Friday, the North Korean official Web site accused South Korea of not sending an official delegation and banning its people from visiting North Korea. The Web site, the North's propaganda mouthpiece, also denounced South Korea for not issuing an official condolence, calling Seoul's move an unpardonable insult to the North's dignity. South Korea has sent a sympathy message to the North Korean people over Kim's death and allowed civilians and private organizations to send messages of condolence to the North. The North Korean Web site warned that inter-Korean ties could worsen if South Korea bans its people from the North. It also said the South Korean government should show "due respect," a thinly veiled request for an official condolence delegation. Tensions still persist on the Korean Peninsula over the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year. "North-South relations are at a critical juncture," the Web site said, warning of huge consequences if Seoul follows in the footsteps of its previous government more than a decade ago. In 1994, South Korea neither expressed condolence nor sent an official delegation over the death of the North's founder Kim Il-sung, the father of late leader Kim Jong-il. Yu, Seoul's top official in charge of relations with Pyongyang, said South Korea is ready to hold dialogue with North Korea to help the isolated country move in the right direction. Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University, said the North appears to want to use visits by South Korean delegations for "domestic political consumption." He also said the condolence issue is unlikely to cause a major obstacle in inter-Korean relations. (END)