The head of the ruling Grand National Party will recommend the dispatch of a special envoy to North Korea as a way to ease tensions between the two Koreas.

Inter-Korean relations have been strained since a South Korean tourist was killed by a North Korean soldier in the North’s Mt. Geumgang resort in mid-July.

According to a party spokesperson Wednesday, GNP Chairman Park Hee-tae will ask President Lee Myung-bak to send a special envoy to Pyongyang over the Geumgang shooting.
A politican of the ruling party will likely be selected as the envoy. However, the spokesman did not elaborate on who the candidate might be.

Some party members say that Park is considering recommending former party head Park Geun-hye as the special envoy.