Indonesia has invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Jakarta in August following a similar invitation to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. An Indonesian delegation led by Coordinating Human Development and Cultural Affairs Minister Puan Maharani delivered a personal invitation to Kim during their visit to North Korea this week.
The group held talks with Kim Yong-nam, the nominal head of state and president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly.
“The main reason for us coming [to Pyongyang] is to convey an official invitation to the president of North Korea to attend the Asian Games Opening Ceremony on August 18,” Maharani said, according to Reuters.
During the meeting, Maharani invited a joint North and South Korean team to take part in the Asian Games, as part of efforts to improve relations between the countries and strengthen reconciliation progress on the Korean Peninsula.
A similar invitation was sent last week to South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, who said he would “consider attending” the ceremony in Jakarta.
President Moon “will consider attending, with circumstances such as future schedule in mind,” said South Korean presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.
North and South Korea are likely to be a focal point of the Games, particularly amid recent doubts over Kim’s promise to work toward de-nuclearization made during a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June.
Ministers from the two Koreas agreed in April to push for a unified delegation from both countries to parade together in the opening ceremony at the Asian Games, to be staged in August and September.
Deputy National Police chief Syafruddin, among the Indonesian delegation in Pyongyang, said Indonesia guaranteed security to all countries and contingents present at the Asian Games, including the government of North Korea.
“Indonesia’s security is very stable. Don’t worry or hesitate,” said Syafruddin, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.
Source: Reuters.com | RT
