Ho Jong Man, the chairman of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, known as Chongyron, plans to visit North Korea for several weeks from early September to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, sources close to bilateral relations said Thursday.
Ho's visit to North Korea will be the first since the government in 2006 imposed a ban on Chongryon leaders' re-entries into Japan after visits to North Korea as part of its unilateral sanctions in the wake of the North's missile launch.
Japan lifted the ban last month as North Korea started a new investigation into Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
Ho and some other Chongryon executives have already obtained the government's permission to re-enter Japan after the envisaged visit in which they expect to participate in events for North Korea's Sept. 9 national foundation day, the sources said.
If a meeting with Kim is realized, the delegation could hear his views on future talks with Tokyo, such as whether Pyongyang will try to see more Japanese sanctions lifted and about the pending sale of the Chongryon headquarters building in Tokyo, they said.