DPRK welcomes visits from south to pay respects

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) welcomes visits of people from the Republic of Korea (ROK) to pay their respects on the passing of its late top leader Kim Jong Il, a DPRK website said Thursday. The uriminzohkkiri.com website, run by the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, said the DPRK would accept southern delegations and individuals who wanted to pay their respects. The authorities would open land and air routes and the visitors' convenience and safety would be guaranteed, it said. The website also issued a commentary on the same day to accuse the South Korean government of blocking visits by its citizens. This is "intolerable humiliation against the dignity of the DPRK" and "a rude breach of ethics", the commentary said. The DPRK top leader passed away last Saturday at the age of 69 from a "great mental and physical strain" on the train during a field guidance tour, DPRK's official KCNA news agency reported on Monday. Earlier this week, Seoul expressed condolences to the DPRK over the death but decided not to send an official delegation to the funeral. Choi Boh-seon, spokesman for South Korea's unification ministry, which oversees inter-Korean affairs, said in a briefing Wednesday that Seoul would allow civic groups and civilians to send messages of condolences via fax or mail to the DPRK. Seoul also said it would allow former first lady Lee Hee-ho and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun to visit the DPRK to offer their personal condolences.