A large group of South Koreans arrived in North Korea for a joint event to mark the eleventh anniversary of the October Fourth Declaration.

About 160 delegates arrived in Pyongyang for a three-day trip on Thursday morning via a direct flight route over the Yellow Sea.

The South Korean delegation, headed by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, will take part in the joint commemorative event, which will be the first since the declaration was reached between President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2007. 

The delegation comprising government officials, politicians and civic and religious leaders, are set to visit a science and technology center in Pyongyang and attend a welcome dinner on Thursday. 

The official ceremony marking the eleventh anniversary of the summit declaration is set for Friday morning.