Ahead of her planned trip to North Korea next week, former First Lady Lee Hee-ho has revealed her plans to urge the two Koreas to observe the historic June 15th Joint Declaration signed by her late husband and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000. 
 
In a meeting with minor opposition Justice Party Chairwoman Shim Sang-jeung on Thursday, the 92-year old widow of former President Kim Dae-jung discussed her plans in North Korea.
 
After discussing improvements in inter-Korean ties following the 2000 summit in Pyongyang, Lee told Shim that relations soured following the 2008 shooting death of a South Korean tourist at the scenic Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea.
 
An official of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center said Thursday that Lee will visit North Korea on a chartered plane of budget airline Eastar Jet.
 
She will be accompanied by an entourage of some 20 people, whose names will be unveiled next Wednesday morning just before Lee embarks on the four-day trip.  
 
Despite the North’s offer to provide a flight for the former first lady earlier this month, the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center concluded that it would be desirable for Lee to travel aboard a South Korean carrier and had been consulting with airlines on the matter.