Sweden PM to visit Korean peninsula

The European Union is sending a delegation led by the Swedish Prime Minister, Goeran Persson, to North and South Korea.

Speaking at the end of the EU summit in Stockholm, Mr Persson said he would travel to the Korean peninsula by the end of May for meetings with the leaders of the two countries.

He said his aim was to express support for the process of reconciliation with the North begun by the South Korean president, Kim Dae-Jung. Sweden holds the current presidency of the European Union.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service