Political leaders considering U.S. visit in mid-Feb.

SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary leader and party chiefs are considering visiting the United States in mid-February to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula with their U.S. counterparts, officials said Tuesday.

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and the chiefs of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and four opposition parties are seeking to visit the U.S. from Feb. 11-17, according to parliamentary officials.

They are considering meeting with U.S. lawmakers including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to discuss efforts to bring peace to the peninsula, they added.

Last week, Moon and the party chiefs jointly expressed the need for the trip in an example of bipartisan cooperation.

But the scheduling could be subject to change, given the lengthy U.S. government shutdown, according to officials.

"As the U.S. government shutdown is becoming protracted, the trip could be delayed," an assembly official said.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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