U.S. Lawmakers Welcome to Visit, North Korea Says

North Korea’s ambassador to China said Tuesday that in order to promote better relations between Pyongyang and Washington, his government is willing to approve visits by U.S. Congress members.

“If any American congressman wants to visit (North) Korea for the purpose of improving relations between the two countries, I think his visit would be acceptable,” Ambassador Chu Chang Jun told reporters in Beijing. “The congressman should just apply for a visa and submit his proposal for a visit.”

Chu’s comments came as Gaston Sigur, who was the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in the Reagan Administration, was visiting North Korea. Chu and a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirmed that Sigur is in Pyongyang as a private citizen. Neither provided details on the purpose of his visit.

Chu’s invitation to U.S. lawmakers was made in response to questions raised at a press conference in connection with the possibility of expanding contacts between Washington and Pyongyang. But before making his apparently conciliatory comment, Chu delivered a prepared statement denouncing the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea and U.S. support for the South Korean government.