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| 韩国前第一夫人前来哀悼金正日。Lee Hee-ho, the widow of the late Republic of Korea (ROK) president Kim Dae-jung, leaves the ROK for Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Monday. The former ROK first lady was allowed to enter the DPRK to pay condolences to late leader Kim Jong-il. |
韩国前第一夫人前来哀悼金正日。PYONGYANG, Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Former Republic of Korea (ROK) first lady Lee Hee-ho arrived on Monday to express condolences over the death of Kim Jong-il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official KCNA news agency reported.
Lee, widow of former ROK President Kim Dae-jung, led a 13-member delegation.
Meanwhile, a five-member delegation led by Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, wife of the business group's late chairman, Chung Mong-hun, also arrived in Pyongyang.
The KCNA did not disclose the schedule for the delegations, who will return home on Tuesday.
The ROK's Unification Ministry said the mourners were scheduled to hold a luncheon meeting with some DPRK officials later before paying their respects to Kim.
The ROK government granted special permission for the two women to make the trip because the DPRK sent separate condolence delegations to Seoul after the deaths of their husbands.
However, it decided not to send any official group of mourners.
"I think it's the right thing to pay condolences as Kim Jong-il sent a condolence delegation to Seoul when my husband passed away in August 2009," Lee said in a written message read by her aide before crossing the border.
"I hope that our trip to the DPRK will help improve relations between ROK and the DPRK," she said.
The two delegations, however, will not attend the funeral of Kim Jong-il, scheduled for Wednesday, and no government officials, politicians or other prominent figures were included in the groups.
Last week, the ROK government expressed its sympathy to the people of the DPRK following the death of Kim Jong-il on Dec 17, which was announced two days later.
However, it decided not to send an official delegation to the funeral. After Seoul's decision, the DPRK has denounced the ROK for not sending an official delegation and banning its people from visiting the DPRK to express their condolences.
Son takes over
Meanwhile, a leading DPRK newspaper said on Monday that Kim Jong-un had taken over leading the country the day after top leader Kim Jong-il died.
In an article entitled "Today and Tomorrow of Songun Korea," Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), said all the DPRK's work was being firmly carried out under the leadership of Kim Jong-un.
During the nine days of the national mourning, the country's politics had remained stable, which showed the support and trust of the army and people in the heir of their leader, the article said.
Under the wise leadership of Kim Jong-un, all servicepersons of the Korean People's Army have reaffirmed their desire to defend the WPK central committee with their lives, it said.
The whole WPK is running well under the leadership of Kim Jong-un and all party organs are fully supporting him, it said.
The DPRK's revolution and construction are advancing according to his intention, it added.
The DPRK media has repeatedly affirmed Kim Jong-un's top leadership in recent articles and commentaries since his father's death.
