A private delegation from South Korea, which included the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, Lee Hee Ho, and Hyundai Group Chairwoman, Hyun Jeong-eun, was welcomed in North Korea on Monday as the group paid their respects to the North's recently deceased leader, Kim Jong Il.

Kim Dae Jung held a landmark summit with Kim Jong Il in 2000, and Hyun's husband also had ties to North Korea.

"I hope that our trip to North Korea will help improve relations between South and North Korea," Lee said before crossing into North Korea.

Kim Jong Un, Kim Jon Il's son and successor, briefly met with the delegation in the capital, Pyongyang. The two women also visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where Kim Jon Il is lying in state.

Kim Jong Un has been gaining titles by the day since his father's passing. Over the weekend, Kim was referred to as the military's "supreme leader" by the state media, and a newspaper called him head of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party on Monday, which would make him in charge of North Korea's ruling party.

Maintaining stability

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made a brief visit to Beijing for talks with China's President Hu Jintao as worries prevail over North Korea's nuclear plans following the death of Kim Jong Il.

Both countries agreed that the denuclearization of the peninsula was in the interest of all its neighbors, Noda told Kyodo News agency in Beijing, where he met Hu on Monday.

Apart from hoping that China would play a big role in ensuring that there was no volatility in North Korea during the transition of leadership to Kim Jong Un, Noda urged Hu to share information regarding developments within China's secretive neighbor. China was North Korea's closest ally during the regime of Kim Jong Il.

China's state news agency Xinhua reported that Hu told Noda that it was in the interests of all sides to maintain stability on the Korean peninsula. China has been restrained in its public comments on developments in North Korea, especially during the delicate period of transition.

Author: Matt Zuvela (AP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Ben Knight