The widow of late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has begun procedures to visit North Korea.
 
A unification ministry official said Thursday that the government has approved an application by the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center for contacting North Korea ahead of the envisioned visit.
 
The former first lady Lee Hee-ho hasn't applied to visit the North yet and the government will review the application when it is submitted.
 
The Kim Dae Jung Peace Center plans to communicate with the North's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee via fax to discuss Lee's visit.
 
Lee expressed her hope to visit the North when she met President Park Geun-hye at the Presidential Office last month. Park had replied that she would seek out an opportunity at a convenient time of Lee.
 
Delivering a wreath to a South Korean delegation in Gaeseong in August on the fifth anniversary of President Kim's death, Kim Yang-gon, head of the North Korean Workers' Party’s United Front Department, said Pyongyang's invitation for Lee to visit the North is still valid.