South Korea doubts report on planned N. Korea trip by Jim Rogers

SEOUL, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday questioned a report on a plan by Jim Rogers, a well-known investor, to visit North Korea next month.

Earlier this week, a Seoul-based newspaper, The Kyunghyang Shinmun, said Rogers received an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and intends to visit the communist nation in March. It cited an unnamed "key government official."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has tried to confirm whether the Singapore-based investor, chairman of Rogers Holdings, will soon travel to North Korea.

It contacted Rogers and confirmed that he has "no such specific plan," a ministry official told reporters. Rogers was quoted as saying that he's not in contact with the North and is also not aware of the reason for such a news report, the official added.

Even before the start of the peace mood on the peninsula early last year, the billionaire openly said North Korea could be a land of opportunity for global investors if businesses there become legitimate.