N. Korean officials arrive in S. Korea to attend int'l forum

SEOUL. KAZINFORM A group of North Korean officials arrived in South Korea on Wednesday to attend an international forum and tour various local facilities, Yonhap reported.

The five-member delegation is led by Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee. They arrived at Incheon International Airport in the evening.

"I am very pleased to step onto the South's soil at a historic time when North-South relations have entered a turning point," Ri told reporters upon arriving at the airport just west of Seoul.

On a possible visit to Seoul by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the end of this year, he said it's a matter to be decided by the leaders of the two Koreas.

"It's not an issue which I can address," he said.

Kim Song-hye, director of the United Front Department's tactical office, canceled her visit to the South, citing a "personal, unavoidable situation."