Shin Han-yong, the head of a private task force representing South Korean firms that had operated factories in the Kaesong Industrial Complex, was included in Moon's 52-member entourage, which also encompasses government officials, politicians and selected figures from various other fields.

"I think the fact that I was included in the list indicates the government's desire to discuss the restarting of the Kaesong complex with the North," Shin told Yonhap News Agency.

"We will prepare for the reopening of the factory plant step by step, with hope for its reopening within the year," he added.

Opened in 2004, the industrial park in the North's border town of Kaesong was hailed as a key symbol of economic cooperation between the rival Koreas as it combined South Korean capital and technology with cheap labor from North Korea.

The Seoul government, however, halted its operation in 2016 in retaliation for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear provocations. (Yonhap)