S. Korean opposition party to send team to U.S. over North's latest threat

SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- Senior officials from South Korea's main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) will visit the United States next week to discuss growing tensions following North Korea's latest saber-rattling, the party said Friday.

The delegation, led by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Rep. Lee Ju-young, will meet U.S. politicians and scholars in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles from Monday through Thursday, the conservative party said.

The team also includes Rep. Kang Seok-ho, chief of the party's overseas Koreans' affairs committee, and Rep. Yoo Min-bong, chief of its international affairs committee.

"They will exchange opinions about the North's recent move, which can be seen as a declaration of an end to its moratorium on nuclear and missile tests, and will explore measures for the North's complete denuclearization," the party said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this week threatened to show a "new strategic weapon" to the world, expressing frustration over stalled nuclear talks with the United States.

The LKP team plans to meet senators, administration officials and journalists, visit think tanks, including the Heritage Foundation, and hold meetings with Korean residents, the party said.

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