The U.S. state of Alaska invited senior officials from South Korea to a conference scheduled for next month.

The state government invited a high-level trade delegation from South Korea and other countries to the annual Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference set to be held in Anchorage for three days from June 3.

Observers say Alaska seems to be applying pressure on invited countries to participate in its liquefied natural gas(LNG) project, involving transport, liquefaction, and export of natural gas mined from the state's northern region.

While South Korea has been leveraging its potential participation in negotiations to reduce U.S. tariffs, the invitation is somewhat awkward as it specifies the arrival date on June 2, which by Korea time will be the 21st Presidential Election Day.

An official at Seoul's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy confirmed the invitation, adding that the ministry is in the process of reviewing whether to accept.