The Ministry of Unification said it has received requests from close aides of former President Kim Dae-jung as well as officials of Hyundai Asan for permission to visit North Korea on Wednesday.
 
An official of the Ministry of Unification confirmed to have received the requests on Sunday, adding that the ministry is positively reviewing them.
 
Eight representatives of the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center have applied for the ministry’s endorsement, including Park Jie-won, a senior leader of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), who served as the chief of staff for late President Kim. 
 
Hyun Jung-eun, the chairwoman of Hyundai Group, is among the nine people who have requested to visit the North as a Hyundai Asan representative. The company operated the tour program to the North’s Mount Geumgang before it was suspended in 2008 following the death of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier.
 
Last Friday, Kim Yang-gon, a secretary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, asked close aides to President Kim and officials of Hyundai Asan to visit the Gaeseong Industrial Complex on Tuesday or Wednesday. Kim said the North offered thanks for the message of condolences from Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim, and Hyun, who sent wreaths on the third anniversary of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il last week.