SEOUL - SOUTH Korea said Wednesday it has invited US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to pay a farewell visit in January, on the sidelines of her last scheduled trip to China.

Dr Rice told AFP last week that she would travel to China after New Year's Day to mark the 30th anniversary of the launch of diplomatic ties between the communist country and the US.

'I proposed in a mid-December phone conversation with Secretary of State Rice that she... drop by at South Korea as well on the occasion,' South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan told a briefing.

Mr Yu said his US counterpart was considering visiting 'a few other nations' in addition to China in early January. He added that consultations about the possible visit were under way.

Yonhap news agency said on Wednesday Dr Rice may make a one-day trip to Seoul around Jan 8, but the visit could be called off because of the crisis in the Gaza Strip. -- AFP