North Korean envoys sent to mourn former South Korean leader Kim Dae-Jung called Saturday for an immediate improvement in inter-Korean ties and talks with the country’s president.

An unidentified South Korean government official told Yonhap news agency, “The North Koreans said they were carrying a message from (North Korea’s leader) Chairman Kim Jong-Il.”

On Saturday, the North Korean envoys’ wish to meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak was conveyed to South Korea’s Unification Minister Hyun In-Taek, who is talking to the President about the offer.

A six-member North Korean delegation is making a rare visit south of the border to pay tribute to former leader Kim Dae-Jung, who died Tuesday at the age of 85.

During his 1998-2003 presidency, Kim held the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. He was a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

(via AFP)