The widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has travelled to North Korea, hoping to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula.

It is unclear whether Mrs. Lee Hee-ho, who is on a private trip, will be able to meet top North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong-un.

In 2000, Dae-jung held inter-Korean reconciliation talks - later winning a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. The two Koreas are technically still at war.

Dae-jung, who died in 2009, was a supporter of rapprochement with Pyongyang.

Mrs. Lee's official itinerary says she will visit a maternity clinic, an orphanage and a children's hospital.