Seoul press heads to fly to Pyongyang

Presidents of major South Korean media outlets will begin an eight-day trip to North Korea Aug. 5 at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.

In a press conference July 19, Culture and Tourism Minister Park Jie-Won said 50 presidents of newspaper and broadcasting companies will visit North Korea via Beijing accompanied by 10 staff members.

The delegation is expected to meet North Korean press representatives and visit Mt. Paektu, but the details of the trip have yet to be fixed, said Minister Park. Inter-Korean press exchanges and expanded cooperation may also be touched on.

The visitors will stay at the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang and other places recommended by their Northern counterparts outside the North Korean capital.

The visit was agreed upon at a working-level meeting between the two Koreas from July 16-18 in Beijing. Minister Park added that the delegates would be selected by the Korea Broadcasting Association, which has 46 member companies, and the Korea Newspapers Association, which has 32.