PYONGYANG, North Korea - A religious delegation from South Korea landed in the North Korean capital on Saturday to mark an anniversary celebrated by Buddhists on both sides of the heavily fortified border.
Due to political tensions, South Korean citizens are prohibited from travelling to North Korea without government permission. However, the delegation received approval in Seoul to make the rare trip to attend a ceremony at ancient Pohyon Temple in the mountains northwest of the North Korean capital.
They landed Saturday in Pyongyang for a five-day trip, AP Television News reported in Pyongyang. They held a banner celebrating their visit upon arrival at the airport. Venerable Jaseung, who leads the delegation, shook hands with Sim Sang Jin, an official at North Korea's Buddhist association, APTN said.
The South Koreans will join Buddhists from North Korea in taking part in a service marking the 1,000th anniversary of the engraving of the Tripitaka Koreana. The 80,000 woodblocks designed to print Buddhist scripture are considered sacred by Buddhists across the Korean peninsula and are revered by both Koreas as a relic of their shared heritage.
South Korean Buddhists have been one of the leading groups in providing humanitarian assistance to North Korea. Their trip is seen as a sign that relations may improve between the Koreas and comes days after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak replaced Seoul's point man on Pyongyang in an appointment seen as signalling his willingness to improve cross-border ties.
Relations have been tense since Lee took office in 2008 with a tougher policy on the North than his two liberal predecessors.
He tightened sanctions against North Korea in May last year following an attack on a warship that killed 46 sailors; Pyongyang denies involvement. An artillery shelling on a front-line island later in the year further strained ties.
Most religious and cultural exchanges have stopped as a result.
However, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said the group of 37 was granted permission to attend the religious ceremony, citing the cultural significance of the anniversary. They are expected to visit two other temples near Pyongyang.
The Korean peninsula remains in a state of war because their three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953.
