North Korea says it will accept all South Korean delegations² wishing to pay respects to late leader Kim Jong-il.

朝鲜政府将接受所有希望前来哀悼已故领袖金正日的韩国代表。

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North Korea is holding a lengthy mourning period for late leader Kim Jong-il

In a statement on a government-linked website, it said this was "a sign of our courtesy" to those who wished to mourn.

South Korea has sent a sympathy message to its northern neighbour, with whom it remains⁴ technically⁵ at war.

But Seoul says it will authorise only a select group of people to travel north.

Kim Jong-il died on Saturday of a heart attack, state media said. He had led North Korea since his father's death in 1994. His funeral is to take place on 28 December.

His third son, Kim Jong-un, is being hailed by state media as his successor. But regional neighbours fear the transition could bring further instability to the region.

'Grave implications'

North Korea - which isolated⁶ on the international stage because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons and dire⁷（可怕的） human rights record - said it would guarantee the safety of South Korean visitors.

It would "respectfully accept all types of South Korean delegations hoping to visit to express condolences（慰问，哀悼） and... has taken steps to open all air routes and land routes through (the border town of) Kaesong", the statement said.

An editorial on the same website urged South Korea to think about the "grave implications" of denying its people access to the North during this mourning period.

South Korea says it will not send an official delegation¹ to the funeral. But it is to allow two delegations, one led by the wife of late President Kim Dae-jung and another by Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, to cross the border to pay their respects.

Kim Dae-jung held a summit with Kim Jong-il in 2000, while the Hyundai Group has led cross-border business ties.

Seoul did not send an official delegation when Mr Kim's father, Kim Il-sung, died in 1994.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson, in Seoul, said the North Korean move appeared aimed at putting pressure on the South.

Ties between the two Koreas have been very tense in recent months, following the sinking of a South Korean warship⁸ in March 2010 and the shelling of a border island in November 2010.