Seoul: South Korea says it will allow a group of 37 civilians to visit North Korea this weekend to attend a joint Buddhist service. The unusual trip comes as the Koreas try to tamp down tension on the divided peninsula.
The South's Unification Ministry said on Friday that the five-day trip will begin on Saturday. It is to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the creation of a historic Buddhist relic honoured by both countries.
A South Korean Buddhist group organising the trip says a Christian pastor is expected to be included in the delegation.
The scheduled trip is the first of its kind since South Korea tightened civilian access to North Korea last year over the deadly sinking of a warship. Pyongyang denies torpedoing the ship.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, September 02, 2011, 13:32