VATICAN CITY, June 17 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II has been formally invited to visit North and South Korea, which held a landmark summit earlier this week, the Vatican press office said Saturday.

The invitation was handed over to the top Vatican foreign affairs official, Jean-Louis Tauran, by South Korean Ambassador Yong Il Bae.

On Friday, South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, a Roman Catholic, announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il had agreed to invite the pontiff.