Opposition lawmaker Chun visits North Korea

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SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- A member of South Korea's opposition Democratic Party
(DP) is in North Korea as part of a delegation from a local civic group dedicated
to providing the communist neighbor with humanitarian aid, sources confirmed
Wednesday.

Rep. Chun Jung-bae arrived in Pyongyang earlier in the day as a member of a
delegation from the Korean Sharing Movement (KSM), Kang Young-shik, secretary
general of the group, told Yonhap News Agency. Chun, who is traveling with seven
other KSM officials, arrived via the Chinese city of Shenyang and will return
home on Saturday, he said.
The delegation plans to tour a pharmaceutical company, a hospital and farms that
are receiving support from the group during their stay in the North.
Kang noted the delegates' trip was approved by Seoul's unification ministry.
Chun's visit marks the first time in six months that Pyongyang has allowed a
South Korean politician to enter the reclusive communist state following a visit
by Kang Ki-kap, leader of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in November.
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