A senior official of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) said Tuesday that the group intends to send its first group of members to South Korea, perhaps on Aug. 15.

The announcement comes a day after North and South Korean negotiators struck an agreement that paves way for Korean residents in Japan belonging to Chongryun to visit South Korea.

The official said first-generation Korean residents, who came here during Japan's 1910-1945 rule of the Korean Peninsula, will be given priority when members of the first group are chosen.

He said he will consult with South Korean authorities over the number of visitors allowed.

A six-point joint statement issued at the end of three days of Cabinet-level talks in Seoul calls on South Korea to take action to allow pro-Pyongyang Korean residents in Japan to visit.

Many of Chongryun's members come from what is now South Korea.

Cabby plans mission

The owner of a Kyoto-based taxi firm said Tuesday that he plans to send a mission to North Korea in October in response to a request by North Korean government officials to invest in the country.

Sadao Aoki, owner of MK Corp., known for its low fares, said he will invite members of Japanese businesses and economic groups such as the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) to join an inspection party to go to North Korea by the end of October.

Aoki, 72, visited Pyongyang from April 29 to May 6 this year and met North Korean Vice Premier Kwak Pom Gi and other government officials, who also asked for more investment to develop power stations, underground resources, and tourism.

Groups such as Keidanren and the Japan Federation of Employers Associations (Nikkeiren) are taking a cautious approach, saying they want to assess the progress of normalization talks between Japan and North Korea, set to resume in late August, before making a move on their own, according to Aoki.

The entrepreneur, however, said he wants businesspeople in Japan to "see for themselves the local situation, including the condition of the country and investment possibilities, and determine whether investment is viable."

Aoki, a South Korean resident of Japan whose Korean name is Yoo Bong Shik, said he wants to prioritize investments in the fields of electric power and underground resources, such as manganese, before tackling the tourism and taxi business.