INTER-KOREAN EXCHANGES IN THE U.S.

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Since the unexpected meeting between the two leaders of North Korea and the U.S., Korean organizations living in the U.S. are actively working to promote civilian-level exchanges with North Korea. Chefs from the well-known North Korean restaurants Okryukwan have been invited to a Korean festival in LA, and Korean-American businesspeople are also pushing forward their visit to North Korea. Here's more.

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​A large-scale Korean festival is held in Los Angeles every September. This year's edition is expected to offer Korean cold noodles or naengmyeon from Okryukwan of Pyongyang. The event organizers said, about three months ago, the restaurant's Beijing branch expressed willingness to participate in this year's festival, so they recently sent the North Korean team an invitation.

[Soundbite] CHO KAP-JE(CHAIRMAN, L.A. KOREAN FESTIVAL ORGANIZING FOUNDATION) : "A State Department official replied, there is no reason to reject North Korea's official request."

The invitation has been extended to a total of 30 North Koreans, including five chefs and ten performers. Attention is being drawn to the envisioned culinary exchange, as their participation will mark the first visit to the U.S. by a North Korean cultural delegation, following last month's surprising Pyongyang-Washington summit. The L.A. office of the National Unification Advisory Council is preparing for reunions of families separated by the Korean War. Los Angeles-based Korean-American businessmen are seeking to visit the North to examine the possibility of setting up factories there.

[Soundbite] PARK SEONG-SOO(CHAIRMAN, KOREAN-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LOS ANGELES) : "A great synergy effect will be created if there is an opportunity to build production facilities in North Korea."

Korean American organizations are hoping their civilian-level exchanges with the regime will help bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. However, it remains uncertain if they could receive special permission from the American government, as Washington is adamant about maintaining sanctions on the communist state.