A South Korean lawmaker visited North Korea on Tuesday to deliver a wreath of flowers commemorating the third anniversary of the death of the communist country’s late leader Kim Jong-il, the father of current leader Kim Jong-un.

Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy delivered the wreath on behalf of Lee Hee-ho, the widow of the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, in North Korea’s border city of Gaeseong. The city is home to a big inter-Korean factory park.

Park’s visit reciprocates a similar gesture by North Korea in August to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the death of the late South Korean president.

Park served as Kim’s chief of staff during his term from 1998 till 2003. Kim Dae-jung held the first-ever inter-Korean summit with the then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize the same year.

The lawmaker led a seven-member delegation from the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center in Seoul a day before the third anniversary of the late North Korean leader’s death.

The South Korean government approved Park’s trip Monday, citing the reciprocal nature of the wreath delivery.

The lawmaker’s visit provides a rare chance for a meeting with North Korean officials amid a suspension in government-level dialogue between the sides.

The South Korean government, however, stressed that the lawmaker is visiting North Korea in a “pure humanitarian” move.

Park also wrote on his Twitter account that he will carry a “routine condolence message” from the former first lady. (Yonhap)