The president of the International Olympic Committee...

The president of the International Olympic Committee said he is ready to make a last-minute trip to North Korea to urge that country to take part in the Seoul Olympic Games, but ruled out any question of the North being a co-host.

Juan Antonio Samaranch said at the end of a four-day visit to Seoul that he was willing to accept an invitation to visit North Korea for talks with top leader Kim Il Sung.

The communist North has demanded to be a co-host for the Games, which are set to run from Sept. 17 to Oct. 2 in Seoul, with a record 161 nations taking part. The North has indicated it will boycott if it cannot be a co-host.

Samaranch said that the IOC still was willing to let North Korea stage some Olympic events if it joins the Seoul Games. But it will have to drop its demand to be a co-host, open the border it shares with the South and admit all athletes, officials and some 8,000 journalists accredited to the Games.