South Korean President Moon Jae-in decided to send his special envoys to visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on March 5, after top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un's dispatch of a special delegation to South Korea last month.
The South Korean special delegation, composed of five envoys and five working-level officials, will be led by Chung Eui-yong, a top national security adviser for Moon and head of the National Security Office of the Blue House, Yoon Young-chan, Moon's senior press secretary, told a press briefing on Sunday.
Four other special envoys are Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the country's spy agency, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, Second Deputy NIS Director Kim Sang-gyun, and Yun Kun-young, a senior Blue House official.
The special delegation will travel via a western direct route to the DPRK on a special plane Monday afternoon for a two-day visit to Pyongyang.
During their stay in Pyongyang, the South Korean delegation will hold dialogues with senior-level DPRK officials to build peace on the Korean Peninsula and improve inter-Korean relations, the Blue House press secretary said.
It would be the return visit to Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of the DPRK leader. The younger Kim made a three-day visit to South Korea to attend the Winter Olympics last month.
The younger Kim met with Moon in Seoul, conveying the DPRK leader's invitation to the South Korean president to visit Pyongyang at a convenient time.
The Blue House press secretary said the special delegation will make a comprehensive discussion with DPRK officials on issues including conditions to be created for talks between the DPRK and the United States to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and improved inter-Korean relations such as more exchanges between the two Koreas.
On returning to South Korea Tuesday afternoon, the special delegation will report to President Moon on their visit and visit the United States to explain the result of its dialogues with the DPRK side.
South Korea will closely cooperate with China and Japan, the Blue House press secretary said.
