Kim-Jong-il visits China

A secretive team from North Korea visited north eastern city of Changchun in China on late on Friday, reported Reuters.

A group of a dozen or more cars, with tinted glasses including a black Mercedes Benz carried a few mystery guests to a South Lake Hotel in Changchun, amid tight security. Police vehicles and ambulance also accompanied the cars.

I assume it's some leader but nobody tells us anything. Living round here you get used to stuff like this, said one local resident strolling past the hotel. He gave only his surname, Wang, the Reuters reported.

Both Beijing as well as Pyonyang have remained tightlipped about the visit.

Even in the past such visits were acknowledged by China or North Korea only after the conclusion of the event.

Noticeably, North Korean heir apparent Kim Jong-un was not among the North Korean visitors, a South Korean newspaper reported citing government sources.

The name of Kim Jong-un was not included in the list of 70 people who officially accompanied Kim Jong-il, an unnamed South Korean official told the paper.

The media earlier reported that Kim Jong-un too was in the delegation but later clarified that he was not among the visitors to China who arrived in a distinctive train amid tight security, said the report.

In the recent past, China has steadied ties with Japan and South Korea and there have been increased visits of leaders across North Korea, in an effort to build better ties.

Kim Jong-il travels by train due to aerophobia, and his recent visits to China include the one in May and the other in August last year. China and North Korea hope to strengthen their economic and diplomatic ties further.