NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA/FORMER FIRST LADY South Korean former first lady returns from Pyongyang

Record ID: 144658

  • Title: NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA/FORMER FIRST LADY South Korean former first lady returns from Pyongyang
  • Date: 8th August 2015
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AUGUST 8, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF WIDOW OF FORMER SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT KIM DAE-JUNG, LEE HEE-HO (IN BLACK DRESS WITH WHITE COLLAR), WALKING OUT OF ELEVATOR AND GREETING LEE STANDING IN FRONT OF MEDIA LEE STANDING AT PODIUM AS SOUTH KOREAN DELEGATION STANDS BEHIND (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) WIDOW OF FORMER SOUTH K
  • Embargoed: 23rd August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAE46QOEKT3UB9TZ693QE6LYRSF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who was well known for his pro-North Korean policies, returned to Seoul on Saturday (August 8) after a visit to North Korea.
    Lee started the rare, four-day trip on Wednesday (August 5) at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
    However, Lee couldn't meet Kim and she didn't receive any letters from him, a delegate who accompanied Lee on the trip told Reuters. In 2011, Lee briefly met with Kim when she visited Pyongyang to offer condolences after the death of North Korea's late leader and Kim's father, Kim Jong Il.
    "I was not assigned to carry out any official duties (during the visit to North Korea). But I finished off my trip following the spirit of the 6.15 Joint Declaration," Lee said at the Gimpo International Airport just after arriving back in Seoul.
    The first summit in 2000 between the North's Kim Jong Il and South's Kim Dae-jung led to a period of rapidly expanding ties including the opening of a factory park in the North run by South Korean businesses and a tourism project. The two leaders concluded the summit with a 6.15 joint declaration pledging peace.
    "I held hands with children while visiting orphanage and nursery in Pyongyang. I realized we could not leave our pain of separation for our future generations," Lee added.
    During the four-day visit, Lee visited a maternity hospital, orphanage, children's hospital and nursing home, South Korean Unification Ministry said.
    North and South Korea are still technically at war because the 1950-53 war ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register