Ivanka Trump / Yonhap



Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Monday that she had a "wonderful" first visit to South Korea and hopes to visit the country again in the near future.

Ivanka, an advisor to the president, made the remarks as she was preparing to board a plane back to the United States at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, wrapping up her four-day trip here for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony.

"It was a wonderful first visit and just exciting and beautiful," she told reporters. "I look forward to returning back. Thanks for the warm hospitality."

She didn't say anything in response to a question about North Korea saying it is willing to talk to the U.S.

Ivanka's trip to South Korea had raised speculation about possible direct dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea, as both sent delegations to attend the closing ceremony held on Sunday.

The U.S. delegation included National Security Council (NSC) director for Korea Allison Hooker. The North Koreans included Choe Kang-il, a senior North Korean diplomat handling affairs with the United States.

Hooker was seen accompanying Ivanka Trump at the airport. A U.S. embassy official said that all the delegates, including the NSC director, seem to be leaving on the same day.

On Sunday, Kim Yong-chol, the high-ranking official leading the North Korean delegation, which is here until Tuesday, told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that Pyongyang has "enough" willingness to begin dialogue with Washington, according to Seoul's presidential office.

The White House said later that it "will see" if North Korea's willingness to hold talks represents a commitment to abandon its nuclear weapons program. (Yonhap)