North Korea 's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam will attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran next week, the official news agency said Thursday.

Mr. Kim is parliament chief and acts as head of state because the country's late founding leader, Kim Il Sung, has been declared "eternal president." The North is led by Kim Il Sung's grandson Kim Jong Eun.

The parliament chief will also pay an official goodwill visit to Iran at the invitation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Korean Central News Agency said.

North Korea and Iran are both subject to international sanctions over their nuclear activities and their governments share a deep hostility towards the U.S.

An Iranian delegation visited North Korea in July for talks and the two sides put forward a "common front against imperialism and hegemony," the North's state media said.

In May 2011, a United Nations sanctions report said the two countries were suspected of sharing banned ballistic missile technology, a charge denied by Tehran .

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