Kim Jong-il’s China Visit Uncertain

A special train that was thought to be carrying Kim Jong-il, which passed through the China-North Korea border early Saturday morning, was an ordinary cargo train and Kim may be still in North Korea, as a North Korean report said he attended a performance there, reports said, leaving his whereabouts uncertain.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il attended an art troupe performance, Yonhap news agency Saturday said, citing the country's state-run radio channel, the Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS).

The Saturday report by the North said Kim attended the performance by Pyongyang's Mansudae Art Troupe, without giving details of when the event took place.

But Yonhap said the performance was believed to have been held on Friday, saying that North Korea's news media have the habit of covering its leader's public activities a day later.

However, earlier in the day, Yonhap said a special train likely carrying the North Korean leader entered the Chinese border city of Dandong at 3:50 a.m., citing South Korean government sources.

Reuters then reported from Dandong that the train was likely to be "a cargo freighter on a journey unrelated to the reclusive North Korean leader," citing witnesses at the border.

JoongAng Ilbo newspaper followed up by saying that it "confirmed" the train was a cargo train and that Kim's special train still "appeared" to be in North Korea, citing an unidentified Chinese source.

Earlier in the week, the Lee Myung-bak administration in an unusual prediction said that there was "a high level of possibility" that the ailing North Korean leader may soon visit China.

Media outlets have touted Kim's "imminent" visit to China for four years since his last visit to the country in January 2006. It has yet to materialize.

Analysts believe the chance is higher this time though as the poverty-stricken country is desperate in seeking economic aid from China, and it also wants to seek Beijing's blessings on Kim's choice of heir, the youngest son, who is still in his 20s, and as well as to discuss the stalled six-party nuclear negotiation.

Some observers express doubt, given that North Korea will hold its annual rubberstamp parliament starting from April 9. That means that if Kim visits China now, he has to return to Pyongyang on the 6th or 7th, at the latest, leaving him only a three-day stay in China, a very tight schedule for Kim to handle his many agendas.

Chinese President Hu Jintao will be out of the country starting from April 12 to attend a Washington-hosted nuclear summit, before he also heads to a week-long trip to South America, leaving the likelihood of Kim's visit this month uncertain.

sunny.lee@koreatimes.co.kr

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