SEOUL: Japan is ready to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the Tokyo Olympics next summer, a South Korean lawmaker told the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper in an interview published Wednesday.

The Japanese government has said it would be possible to invite the North Korean leader to the Tokyo Games through the organizing committee if he wants to attend the event, Kim Jin-pyo, head of South Korean lawmakers’ group for bilateral friendship, told the major South Korean daily.

Tokyo has also said it would be possible for North Korean athletes to join the Tokyo Games, the lawmaker added.

He visited Japan last week, holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday.

During the visit, he met with other officials, including Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee.

According to the South Korean lawmaker, Mori said it would be reasonable to invite the North Korean leader if he hopes to attend the games.

JIJI Press