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North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on trip to China

Other News Materials 21 May 2011 09:42 (UTC +04:00)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was in north-eastern China Saturday morning on the second day of a secret trip to his country's main ally, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on trip to China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was in north-eastern China Saturday morning on the second day of a secret trip to his country's main ally, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

Citing a source in Changchun, the report said Kim's special train arrived in the city at 8:20 am (0020 GMT). A convoy of cars believed to be carrying Kim and his entourage of about 70 was then seen heading toward the city's South Lake Hotel, dpa reported.

During his last trip to China nine months ago, Kim held talks with President Hu Jintao at the hotel.

Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Tumen early Friday before heading to Mudanjiang, in his third trip to China in just over a year.

There has been no official confirmation of Kim's trip. Previous trips were not confirmed by either the Chinese or North Korean governments until they had concluded.

Earlier, South Korean media reports said Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Il's son and likely successor, was making the trip. But Yonhap later reported Kim Jong Un's name was not on the official travel list of the North Korean party.

The trip came one day before the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan meet in Japan, where they are expected to discuss North Korea on the sidelines of their annual trilateral summit.

Pyongyang is also under international pressure to give up its nuclear weapons programme and rejoin the stalled six-party talks.

Those talks involve the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.

During his visit in August, Kim visited a monument in Mudanjiang that commemorates his father Kim Il Sung's fight against Japanese colonial rule.

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