North Korea yesterday said it would send a delegation to the funeral of former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung in Seoul, in the latest sign of rapprochement after months of military brinkmanship.

The visit would be the first to Seoul by an official northern delegation since before Lee Myung-bak took office as South Korea's president in early 2008. Intra-Korean relations deteriorated drastically after that, as he tied provision of aid to Pyongyang's co-operation on denuclearisation.

The North's reaction to Kim's death contrasts with its more subdued response to the death in May of Roh Moo-hyun, who succeeded Kim as president and continued his “sunshine policy” of rapprochement with Pyongyang. Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, has sent condolences to the family of Kim Dae-jung, who died of heart failure on Tuesday at the age of 85. The late Kim won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts to engage the North.