North Korean leader arrives in Changchun

CHANGCHUN, China (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il arrived in Changchun in northeast China on Saturday as he began a second day of his secret trip to China.

Kim's special train arrived at Changchun's train station around 8:20 a.m., and a convoy believed to be carrying an entourage accompanying the leader was seen heading toward the city's South Lake Hotel, a source here told Yonhap News Agency. The source did not give any further details and asked not to be identified, citing the issue's sensitivity.

Kim held summit talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the same hotel during his previous trip in August.

It was not immediately clear whether the two leaders will meet again in the same hotel because the two sides are keeping secret Kim's itinerary and schedule during his trip.

Pyongyang and Beijing usually confirm the leader's trips to China only after he returns home, apparently due to security concerns.

Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Tumen early Friday before heading to Mudanjiang in northeast China in his third trip to China in a little more than a year. He visited China in early May and late August last year.

The trip comes as Kim, who inherited power from his father, the North's founder Kim Il-sung, is grooming his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor to lead the nuclear-armed nation.

The 69-year-old leader has accelerated steps to extend his family dynasty into a third generation since he suffered a stroke in 2008. He named Kim Jong-un vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party and a four-star general last year.

Many had believed that the junior Kim would accompany his father on the trip or would visit China alone to win Beijing's support for the power succession plan and wrest economic aid from key ally China.

However, the junior Kim was not on an official list of an entourage with about 70 members, an indication that he may not be traveling with his father.

Little is known about the North's next leader aside from his education in Switzerland and admiration of retired NBA star Michael Jordan.

The senior Kim began his second day of the trip as leaders of South Korea, China and Japan were preparing to meet in Japan for their annual summit on Sunday.

North Korea is expected to be on the agenda for talks between the leaders of South Korea and China on the sidelines of the trilateral summit.

Separately, the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan met Friday in Tokyo to discuss Kim's trip and stalled talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs, according to a Foreign Ministry official in Seoul. The official did not elaborate and asked not to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to media.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Friday that he did not have much to comment on Kim's trip, noting Washington doesn't have any confirmation.

Toner, however, said Washington will send a delegation to North Korea next week to assess the food situation and discuss human rights conditions in the North.

There are no signs of progress in international efforts to resume the stalled disarmament-for-aid talks that involve the two Koreas, host China, the U.S., Japan and Russia.

The North has expressed its willingness to rejoin the nuclear talks that it quit in 2009, but Seoul and Washington demand Pyongyang first demonstrate its denuclearization commitment by action.

Seoul also wants Pyongyang to apologize for its two deadly attacks on the South last year that killed a total of 50 South Koreans, mostly soldiers.

김정일 특별열차 창춘 도착

김정일 북한 국방위원장의 특별열차가 21일 오전 8시 20분(한국시간 오전 9시 20분)께 창춘역에 도착한 것으로 확인됐다.

현지 소식통은 "특별열차가 창춘역에 들어왔다"며 "이어 김 위원장 일행을 태운 것으로 보이는 차량행렬이 시내 난후호텔 방향으로 향하는 게 목격됐다"고 말했다.

특별열차는 20일 오후 9시께 무단장역을 출발해 하얼빈에 멈추지 않고 경유해 곧바로 창춘으로 향한 것으로 알려졌다.