GNP leader has no intention of visiting N.K.

Main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) leader Lee Hoi-Chang said in a special message Friday that, for the sake of balance in inter-Korean relations, now is not a good time for an opposition leader to visit the North.

Lee said that he has every intention of visiting Pyongyang and meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to discuss improving bilateral relations and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, but at a more appropriate time.

He went onto criticize as rash the government`s announcement that it has requested the North¡¯s permission for his possible visit without seeking prior permission from him.

Lee called upon President Kim Dae-Jung to make every effort to persuade Kim Jong-Il to establish a formal mechanism for the reunions of separated families. He added that correspondence and visits by the separated families should continue and reunion centers should be set up immediately.

Lee further said that if the repatriation of former Communist spies is a humanitarian measure, the government should simultaneously work for the return of South Korean POWs and abductees living in the North.