INCHEON/SEOUL -- Ivanka Trump, the daughter of US 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 US.

Ivanka had dinner with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday. She then traveled to the eastern town of PyeongChang to meet US athletes and join the closing ceremony.

Her trip to South Korea had raised speculation about possible direct dialogue between the US and North Korea, as both sent delegations to attend the closing ceremony held on Sunday.

The US delegation included National Security Council 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 US embassy official said that all the delegates, including the NSC director, seem to be leaving on the same day.

Sources close to the matter told Yonhap News Agency that the chances are quite low that Hooker and Choe met on the sidelines of the sporting event. A US embassy official also said that there was "no interaction" with the North Koreans.

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.

Ivanka, meanwhile, was planning to meet North Korean defectors during her trip to South Korea as she showed interest in the issue, but the meeting was said to be canceled.

A source told Yonhap that it was not so much because of Washington's consideration of North Korea's stance on defectors and human rights issues as the "logistical and scheduling" restraints of her trip, whose itinerary was decided relatively late and was focused more on spending time at Olympic events. (Yonhap)