South Korea has invited North Korea to attend next year’s Asian Games to be held in the western port city of Incheon, a senior government official said Tuesday.

“We asked North Korea to participate in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games some two months ago via the Olympic Council of Asia,” Park Jong-gil, the second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, told reporters. “We also conveyed our hope via other channels for inviting not only its athletes but supporters,” he said. “The North has yet to make any response, but I expect to hear good news from Pyongyang soon.”

Earlier this month, Incheon Mayor Song Young-gil made an official request to OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, FIFA’s vice president, for their cooperation in inviting the communist North to the upcoming sporting event in his city, just west of Seoul. (Yonhap News)