By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
Will there be North Korean officials in Washington to witness U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony? Not likely, according to the U.S. State Department.
There have been some rumors recently in Washington's diplomatic circles that the incoming Obama administration is inviting a North Korean delegate in time for the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20. But during a press briefing on Monday, U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said he hasn't heard of such an invitation and dismissed the possibility.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), McCormack told reporters at the briefing session that no invitation has been extended to North Korea and that, at any rate, Pyongyang did not express any interest in sending officials to the inauguration event this month.
RFA also quoted Korea policy analysts as saying that it's not likely that the Obama team has invited North Korean officials. ``I haven't heard about that. And there is a legal procedure that any visiting North Korean officials would have to follow, and it has to be approved by the U.S. State Department,'' according to the Center for American Progress analyst Andrew Grotto. He said that at the moment, dealing with North Korea is not a high priority for the new administration, which is devoting its full attention to domestic and economic issues.
He said that in the unlikely case that a North Korean official does pay a visit to the United States in the coming weeks, it would be to assure the Obama administration that Pyongyang is committed to following the denuclearization path.
In 2000, North Korea's Deputy Marshal Jo Myung-rok paid a visit to Washington, the only time that a Pyongyang official was officially invited to the U.S. capital.