British lawmakers visiting N. Korea: report

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- A British parliamentary delegation is visiting North
Korea, Pyongyang's news agency said Tuesday, following North Korean party
officials' visit to Britain last week.
In a brief report, the Korean Central News Agency said the delegation, led by the
House of Lords' David Alton, arrived in Pyongyang earlier in the day and was
greeted by Ri Jong-hyok, deputy to the North's Supreme People's Assembly. It did
not reveal the purpose of the trip.
Alton is chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea, a British
lawmakers' group aimed at enhancing relations with Pyongyang.
Last week, North Korea sent a delegation of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea to
London, which reportedly met with European Union officials and Glyn Ford, a
British lawmaker well versed on North Korean issues.
Radio Free Asia, a U.S.-based station, said Tuesday the North Korean party
delegation expressed hope for normalizing relations with the EU. Relations were
suspended after the EU submitted a human rights resolution on North Korea to the
United Nations in 2005.
The North Korean delegation also asked for a technology transfer from the EU to
build tidal power plants, the report said, quoting an unidentified source in
Ford's office.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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