S. Korean lawmakers leave for U.S. visit

A group of lawmakers from South Korea’s rival parties departed for Washington, D.C., Saturday for a weeklong visit at the invitation of the U.S. State Department.

National Assembly Vice Speaker Chung Jin-suk, Reps. Kim Seok-ki and Kim Jung-jae from the ruling People Power Party and Reps. Kim Han-jung and Lee Jae-jung from the main opposition Democratic Party will meet with officials from the U.S. government and think tanks to discuss various pending issues, according to the lawmakers.

A number of Japanese lawmakers are also expected to attend the State Department invitation program.

“Lawmakers from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are meeting in Washington to participate in a program aimed at exchanging opinions about issues of common interest,” Chung told Yonhap News Agency over the phone ahead of his departure.

The program will begin with a session at the Center for Strategic and International Studies with Victor Cha, Korea chair and senior vice president of the think tank.

The delegation will return home on Aug. 28.

Source: Yonhap News Agency