N Korea to thank Southern farmers

North Korea has been fighting a famine

By Caroline Gluck BBC Seoul correspondent

While inter-Korean governmental exchanges seem once again to be at a standstill, a plane packed with people from Jeju island in the South will travel directly to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on a landmark visit.

Among those taking part are farmers, academics, doctors, and other citizens who have helped donate nearly 20,000 tonnes of tangerines and carrots to the North since 1998.

The group were invited to visit North Korea by the country's leadership as a gesture of gratitude for their help over the years.

They are due to leave for the six-day visit on Friday.

Jeju is a sub-tropical island on the southern tip of South Korea, and is famous for its tangerines.

Tangerine dreamland

A spokesman for the 255-strong delegation said that, unlike other food sent to the famine-stricken north, tangerines could not be grown in the north, nor could they be stored for any length of time.

The islanders had asked for the fruit to be distributed to the very young, including those living in orphanages, and the very elderly.

In the past, several senior North Koreans who visited South Korea have toured Jeju, a holiday and honeymoon resort which is now promoting itself as an island of peace.

The island has been a venue for summits with leaders of the former Soviet Union, the United States and Japan.