`US Defense Official Misquoted on NK Invite of Pres. Lee`

The White House yesterday denied that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il invited South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to visit Pyongyang, saying the official words of a Defense Department official were misunderstood.

The official tried to say North Korea has recently adopted a friendly stance, and in this context, a North Korean delegation that visited Seoul to honor the late former President Kim Dae-jung met President Lee and talked about him visiting Pyongyang.

The official added, however, “There was no specific invitation to President Lee.”

Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates fueled the rumor of President Lee going to North Korea. When asked what is the next step in dealing with Pyongyang, he said, “Now suddenly, we reached charm face with North Korea, with Kim Jong Il inviting Lee Myung-bak of South Korea to visit Pyongyang, with Wen Jiabao from China going to visit Pyongyang.”

yhchoi65@donga.com