SEOUL, South Korea — A 140-member arts troupe from North Korea plans to travel to South Korea this week by ferry, forcing the South to temporarily lift its ban on all North Korean ships entering its waters, officials said on Monday.
The arts troupe, comprising orchestra musicians, dancers and singers, will arrive in South Korea on Tuesday on board the ferry Mangyongbong-92, said Baik Tae-hyun, a spokesman at the Unification Ministry, a South Korean government agency in charge of relations with North Korea.
North Korea also notified the South that the ship would serve as lodging for the artists, a move apparently designed to keep them from having contact with South Koreans.