Civic groups are planning to visit North Korea in September and October.

An official said that the government was positively reviewing Korean Sharing Movement’s request to visit North Korea for four days.

The group is planning to fly some 160 members in a chartered jet. The Unification Ministry had asked the group to downsize the delegation and use a route through China instead of a direct one from Seoul.

Six other nongovernmental groups are also planning to visit North Korea and will likely to be granted permission from the government.