US congressmen to visit S Korea

A delegation of US Republican congressmen will visit South Korea this week to inspect security conditions, officials said Thursday, as North Korea presses ahead with its plan to launch a long-range rocket. The five US lawmakers are scheduled to arrive in Seoul Friday for a three-day visit during which they will meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) News Agency. North Korea, despite already being under international sanctions, has said it will go ahead with its planned launch of a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit sometime between April 12 and 16. South Korea, the US and other regional powers have condemned the launch as a cover for testing the North's ballistic missile technology. Despite international calls to cancel the launch, North Korea appears to be readying the rocket, satellite images show.