Former U.S. Secretary of State to attend late president Kim's funeral

SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will attend the funeral of late South Korean president Kim Dae-jung to be held on Sunday, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said Friday.

"The U.S. delegation is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Saturday and return home next Monday," Yonhap said, quoting a diplomatic source.

Together with a delegation composed of a dozen former and current U.S. officials, Albright will be present at the funeral to be held at the National Assembly in Seoul.

Albright served as the top diplomat of the United States during the Bill Clinton administration.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, China and Japan were reported to announce their plans to send envoys to Kim's funeral.

While China is known to send former state councilor and foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan, Japan's envoy will be House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono, Yonhap said.