North Korean leader believed to be in Beijing

From CNN Producer Lisa Weaver

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Diplomatic sources told CNN on Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was believed to have arrived or was on his way to Beijing.

A news conference scheduled for 1230 GMT in Beijing is expected to officially announce the leader's visit to China. In all likelihood that means Kim Jong Il will have already crossed the Chinese border on his special train and be on his way back to North Korea.

Earlier, diplomatic sources told CNN that Kim was expected to meet with Chinese president Jiang Zemin, and then depart Beijing by train a few hours later -- most likely en route back to Pyongyang. It was not possible to confirm that a meeting with Jiang had taken place.

Sources said that earlier reports that Kim had met Jiang in Shanghai on Thursday were erroneous.

Japanese journalists in Shanghai confirmed Kim's departure from that city Thursday evening. The North Korean president was traveling through China on his own personal train.

China has so far refused to officially confirm the Kim's visit. Kim last visited Beijing in May, shortly before a North Korean/South Korean Summit.

The purpose of this most recent visit to China is apparently to observe high-tech industry and economic development. Analysts interpret the visit to mean that the North Korean regime is cautiously considering a more systematic policy of economic reform.

North Korea, whose people have suffered starvation as the result of an economy in shambles, has begun limited experimentation with special economic zones.

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Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
Korean Information Service
North Korea: Politics and Government
North Korea
UniKorea

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