Takako Doi, leader of the Social Democratic Party, will visit North and South Korea next month as head of a mission organized by the Socialist International, officials of the London-based group said Tuesday.
The mission is part of the group's efforts to "encourage greater trust and continued progress toward reunification on the Korean Peninsula," the group's Asia-Pacific Committee said after a meeting in Tokyo.
Luis Ayala, secretary general of the group, said at a news conference that the mission plans to meet South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during the trip, expected to take place in the second half of April.
Doi said the mission should visit the two Koreas successively, either by land or air. "The whole point of the mission is to visit the two countries in succession," she said.
The two-day meeting brought together participants from about 15 countries, including representatives from North Korea attending for the first time as advisers.