NK told China it has no relation with Cheonan

During Kim Jong-il's visit to China, North Korea told China that it has no relation to the fatal sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, the local JoongAng Ilbo newspaper said Saturday, citing a ranking government official.

The remark was part of the debriefing China made to South Korean Ambassador to China Yu woo-ik Friday morning, it said.

However, it didn't specify whether the government official it quoted was the ambassador himself.

"According to China, North Korea told China that 'the sinking of Cheonan has nothing to do with us,'" the unnamed official told the newspaper.

The official added: "The Chinese side, however, didn't explain to us whether the statement was made directly from Kim Jong-il or from another North Korean official."

China's official Xinhua news agency on Friday reported on the contents of the meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and North Korean leader Kim, but the Chinese media didn't mention about Cheonan.