SEOUL, South Korea — A Roman Catholic cardinal from South Korea is visiting North Korea in the first such trip, at a time of rekindled animosity between the neighboring countries.
Seoul's Unification Ministry says Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung is making a one-day visit Wednesday to the joint North-South factory park at Kaesong, North Korea, to tour the complex and meet South Koreans working there.
South Korean Catholic officials have denied media speculation that Yeom's trip might be aimed at preparing for a possible visit by Pope Francis to North Korea when he visits South Korea in August.
Tension between the two Koreas have risen in recent months, with Pyongyang conducting a series of missile and rocket launches and resuming harsh rhetoric against South Korea and the U.S.