Former US ambassadors to Korea Donald Gregg, William Gleysteen and Richard Walker, and UC Berkeley Honorary Professor Robert Scalappino will make a four-day visit to North Korea from February 19. Professor Scalapino, an expert on the Korean peninsular and Tony Namgung, known as a figure close to the North and a co-researcher of NK-US relations at the Center for Korean Studies in UC Berkeley will prepare the trip in association with Lee Geun, vice-North Korean representative to the UN. Professor Scalapino and those traveling will reportedly pay their own travel expenses.

North Korea had invited all previous US ambassadors to South Korea for the visit including Steven Bosworth, James Lilley and James Laney. However, Steven Bosworth, who is traveling in East Asia, has not yet decided whether to join or not and James Laney has notified the North that his schedule will not permit him to make the trip. Reportedly, the official purpose of their trip to North Korea lies in opening informal dialogue, as the North and US talks have all but frozen.

As the trip coincides with Kim Jong Il's birthday and US President George W. Bush's visit to three Asia nations from February 18, some guess that North Korea may have hidden intentions. An American expert on North Korea said that considering the former envoys' visit will be made right after Kim's birthday, it is highly likely that North Korea will take advantage of such a high profile visit and report it as a congratulatory delegation.

(From Washington, Kang In-sun, insun@chosun.com )