ROK party chairman to visit DPRK

SEOUL, Republic of Korea - The Republic of Korea's (ROK) ruling party chairman said on Tuesday he will travel to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday to visit an industrial complex jointly managed by the two sides in an attempt to reduce tension on the divided peninsula.

"It's difficult to directly resolve impending political and military issues," Hong Joon-pyo of the Grand National Party told reporters. "The party believes economic cooperation could help build trust in inter-Korean ties."

The conservative lawmaker said he plans to meet with ROK business operators at the joint industrial complex, located in the DPRK border town of Kaesong, in what will be the first-ever such visit by an ROK ruling party chief.