South Korea’s Unification Ministry hopes that a planned trip to North Korea by the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung will proceed in a way that contributes to improving inter-Korean relations.

Ministry spokesman Yim Byung-cheol said on Monday in a news briefing that the ministry will decide on whether to approve Lee Hee-ho’s trip to the North when the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center seeks approval for the trip after completing consultation with North Korean authorities.

A group of Lee’s aides from the center held a meeting with the North at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex on Friday. The two sides agreed that Lee will visit Pyongyang via an overland route and plan to discuss the detailed schedule in a second-round of working-level talks.