The electronic state of a KCl/Cu(0 0 1) interface was investigated using the Cl K-edge near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). A pre-peak observed on the bulk edge onset of thin KCl films has a similar feature to the peak at a LiCl/Cu(0 0 1) interface, which originates from the metal induced gap state (MIGS). The present result indicates that the MIGS is formed universally at alkali halide/metal interfaces. The decay length of MIGS to an insulator differs from each other, mainly due to the difference in the band gap energy of alkali halide. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.