By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games slated for Aug. 8 by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, a Japanese newspaper reported Sunday.
Taku Yamasaki, former vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said that Xi extended the invitation to Kim during a meeting in Pyongyang last Wednesday, according to the report.
Once the North Korean leader participates in the event, he may hold talks with U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, it said.
Both Bush and Fukuda earlier hinted that they may attend the opening ceremony.
A Japanese weekly recently reported that Xi's three-day visit to North Korea was aimed at inviting Kim to Beijing for a summit with Bush.
ksy@koreatimes.co.kr
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