A large group of South Korean business leaders based overseas will visit Pyongyang on Thursday.

Seoul's Unification Ministry said Wednesday it approved the applications by 80 business people and 17 other officials belonging to the World Federation of Korean Association of Commerce to make a four-day trip to the North's capital from Thursday.

The business people plan to travel by plane from Shenyang, China, to Pyongyang and attend a convention of overseas Korean business people for peace and progress on the Korean Peninsula. 

During the stay, they will visit diverse facilities and meet with North Korean officials to tap into business opportunities. 

A ministry official said the U.S. received prior consultations on the issue and the visit is unrelated to the possible resumption of inter-Korean economic cooperation.

About 90 South Korean business people also sought to join the trip, but were reportedly excluded at the request of the ministry.