A North Korean delegation arrived in the South on Sunday for joint celebrations of the 60th anniversary of independence from Japanese colonial rule despite an unresolved crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear plans, Reuters reported. The four-day event highlights renewed exchanges between the two Koreas and comes during a recess in inconclusive six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Two North Korean passenger jets flew from Pyongyang to Inchon, near Seoul, carrying 182 delegates led by senior communist party official Kim Ki-nam. Security was heavy at Inchon International Airport, but the North Koreans, wearing badges depicting late leader Kim Il-sung, went through smiling and were welcomed by South Koreans. The North Korean officials and some civilian delegates made an unprecedented visit to the South's national cemetery and paid respects at a memorial for soldiers killed in the Korean War. "The memorial (visit) decision was a difficult one to make, but a mark we had to make some day," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a North Korean communist party official Rim Tong-ok as saying. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has said Seoul planned to hold discussions with visiting officials to help negotiate an agreement when the six-party nuclear talks resume. --mor 1439 Local Time 1139 GMT
