A lawmaker says that North Korea expressed willingness to attend President Lee Myung-bak’s inauguration, but demanded a special invitation.

GNP's chief policy-maker, Yim Tae-hee, was speaking about the prospect of developing an inter-Korean special economic zone during a seminar of the Korea Logistics Forum.

Yim, the then chief secretary of the president-elect, said Pyongyang notified Seoul it would not respond to the invitation to the inauguration if it is same as the ones presented to other nations.

He went on to say that the North did not take part in the event because its special request was not accommodated.