Former President Kim Dae-jung is unlikely to visit North Korea next week.

A government official said Wednesday that prospects for the planned trip are uncertain as the North has failed to respond to the South's list of requests regarding Kim's trip. The list was delivered last week to the North's delegations to joint festivities in the South Korean city of Gwangju marking the sixth anniversary of the landmark inter-Korean summit in 2000.

Meanwhile, the former president is reportedly considering publicly voicing his thoughts on his planned visit amid Pyongyang's alleged preparations to test-fire a missile.

In response to such reports, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said it would not be desirable to link Kim's trip with the North's missile testing issue.

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow, who met Kim earlier on Tuesday, said it is unclear whether Kim's trip will be realized

Kim was scheduled to visit the communist state for four days from Tuesday.