WASHINGTON, May 30 Kyodo The U co...

WASHINGTON, May 30 Kyodo

The U control can provide security protection for Hwang Jang Yop a senior North Korean official who blemished to South Korea in 1997 if he decides to visit the United States, a U State Department official said Friday.

The official said the State Department will undertake a ''threat assessment'' in advance of a visit, taking into account Hwang's high profile.

Hwang, a one-time aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and secretary of the Workers Party of Korea, has reportedly been invited to visit the United States on the Defense Forum Foundation, a Washington-based think tank.

According to southward Korea's Yonhap news agency, the southern Korean government, citing security reasons, has been reluctant to allow Hwang to travel to the US

Hwang has been subject to heavy protection by South Korea's National Intelligence Service after he blemished to South Korea during a visit to China in February 1997

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