Two private delegations, led respectively by South Korea's former first lady and the chairwoman of Hyundai Group, crossed into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday to pay condolences over the death of DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-il. Lee Hee-Ho (C), widow of former South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung, and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-Eun (R) leave for North Korea at the inter-Korea transit office in Paju.

A 13-member delegation led by Lee Hee-ho, the widow of the late former president Kim Dae-jung, and another five-member delegation led by Hyun Jeong-eun, the wife of the business group's late chairman Chung Mong-hun, left for Pyongyang for a two-day trip.

"I think it's the right thing to pay condolences as Kim Jong-il sent a condolence delegation to Seoul when my husband passed away in August 2009," Lee said in a written message read by her aide before crossing the border.

"I hope that our trip to the DPRK will help improve relations between South Korea and the DPRK,"she said.

The South Korean government granted special permission for the two women to make the trip because the DPRK sent separate condolence delegations to Seoul after the deaths of their husbands.

The two delegations, however, will not attend the funeral of Kim Jong-il, scheduled for Wednesday, and no government officials, politicians or other prominent figures were included in the groups.

They are scheduled to hold a luncheon meeting with some DPRK's officials in Pyongyang later Monday before paying their respects to Kim, according to the Unification Ministry, which handles inter- Korean affairs.

Last week, the South Korean government expressed its sympathy to the people of the DPRK following the death of their leader on Dec. 17, which was announced two days later.

However, it decided not to send an official delegation to the funeral. After Seoul's decision, the DPRK has denounced the south for not sending an official delegation and banning its people from visiting the DPRK to express their condolences.

Xinhua/ Editor: Xiong Tong