Korean Olympic Committee Chairman Kim Un-yong said Sunday,he will visit North Korea Tuesday to invite the country to the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan.
At a meeting with journalists held at a hotel in southeastern Seoul, Kim said he will discuss inter-Korean sports exchanges with North Korean officials during the five-day visit.
He is scheduled to meet his counterpart Jang Ung and DPRK Sports Committee Chairman Park Myong-chol.
Kim said he was "very optimistic" about the prospect of the North joining the Pusan Asiade although no specific agreement has been made yet.
Advances in Inter-Korean sports exchanges are likely to further boost Kim's career and enhance the possibility of his being elected successor to the incumbent International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
He is one of the leading candidates for the election which will be held next month in Moscow.