It was refuting a Xinhua news agency report dispatched from the North Korean capital.
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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will not visit North Korea next week, his spokesman said Tuesday.
He may also feel burdened at the prospect of a trip to the nuclear-armed communist nation at a time when the world is in shock over the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris.
Mr Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, would be only the third secretary general to ever visit the North.
North Koreans who had family members in the South used to be looked down upon because they were subjected to heightened surveillance and suspicion from the authorities. The statement said Ban has always declared his readiness to help enhance dialogue and peace on the Korean peninsula.
The text calls on Pyongyang to “immediately close the political prison camps” that a United Nations commission of inquiry has said are holding up to 100,000 North Koreans in appalling conditions. The acceptance of Ban’s visit could prove a fairly useful asset from North Korea’s standpoint. Many observers have noted the absence of noteworthy results from him since becoming UN Secretary-General.
Given a lack of official confirmation from the secretary-general’s office, the agenda of Ban’s trip is unclear. Last May, a planned visit to the Kaesong Industrial Complex fell through at the last minute.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has said that the South Korean government will roll up its sleeves in attracting infrastructure investments of up to US$63 billion annually for North Korea and other parts of Northeast Asia if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear program.
Analysts in Seoul say Pyongyang could launch a mid-range missile or a new type of ballistic missile considering the extent of coverage.
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There have not been any worldwide nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea since early in 2009. Under the circumstances, Ban has little room to mediate. Pyongyang’s relations with China have also remained soured.
