Kim Jong-Il Invited Bill Clinton to the North

The Reuters reported that Kim Jong-Il, North Korea`s Chairperson of Defense Commission, invited former U.S. President Bill Clinton to request him to mediate between the North and the U.S. that have been in deadlock.

An anonymous NK official, according to the Reuters, did not reveal whether Chairperson Kim invited Clinton before or after the remarks of George Bush, `axis of evil,` was made in January. However, the official said, "Chairperson Kim Jong-Il wants the U.S. to stop its denouncement against the North, taking an advantage of the Clinton`s visit to the North."

Chairperson Kim Jong-Il hopes that former President Clinton plays a similar role to the mediation of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who tried to accomplish the Inter-Korean summit when he visited Pyongyang by the invitation of former North Korean Chairperson Kim Il-Sung in 1994. The summit talk could not be carried out by the sudden death of Chairperson Kim Il-Sung. Former President Clinton, White House, and the Korean government has not shown any official response to the North`s invitation. The Bush administration has been opposed to the diplomatic mediation of former political leaders including former President Clinton.