Gov¡¯t shows equivocal attitude toward N.K.'s invitation

The government will confirm whether political parties and social organizations invited to the North Korean Workers¡¯ Party anniversary celebration on Oct.10 will be allowed to visit the North when they submit applications for their visits, a Unification Ministry official said Wednesday.

"The government has not yet decided on its policy. We will decide whether to allow their visits when each invited group applies to travel to the North," he said.

The government is not making a swift, clear-cut decision on the issue because the North Korean invitation is not something that it can flatly reject.

The official said, ``There are still many people who have a negative view of South Korean political parties and social organizations attending a ceremony to celebrate the founding of the North Korean Workers¡¯ Party."

¡°However, it is also true that it is difficult for us to reject the North¡¯s proposal right away in light of the recent progress in inter-Korean relations,¡± he added.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Labor Party Wednesday decided to accept the North Korean Workers¡¯ Party invitation and to apply for the government¡¯s approval of its delegates¡¯ visit to the North Thursday.

Kim Young-Sik spear@donga.com