N Korea asks South's Roh to stay an extra day

SEOUL, Oct 3 (Reuters) North Korea's reclusive leader today asked the visiting South Korean president to extend his stay in Pyongyang one more day, a South Korean official said.

''Chairman Kim Jong-il has suggested that President Roh's stay in Pyongyang be extended by an extra day,'' the presidential official told reporters in the South Korean capital.

The official said his government took the proposal to mean Kim wanted the summit talks with Roh Moo-hyun to be more substantive but did not say whether Roh had accepted the proposal.

Roh arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday and was due to leave tomorrow.

REUTERS SG BST1232