North Korea: Kim Jong-un makes surprise trip to China, sources say
North Korea's isolation makes them less subject to negotiations - Obama
NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made a surprise visit to China in what is believed to be his first international foray since taking power in 2011, according to a report.
Details about the North Korean leader’s trip — including how long he would stay and whom he would meet — were not immediately available, according to three sources who spoke to Bloomberg News.
The people asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information, reports the New York Post.
A special train may have carried Kim through the northeastern Chinese border city of Dandong, Japan’s Kyodo News reported earlier.
Nippon TV showed images of a train arriving on Monday in Beijing that looked similar to one used by Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, to visit the Chinese capital a short time before his death in 2011.
Heavy security was reported at the Friendship Bridge before the train passed from North Korea to China.
A video that aired on NTV also showed a motorcade of black limos waiting at the train station and rows of Chinese soldiers marching on what appeared to be a train platform.
A spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said she was not aware of the situation and had no further comment. Pyongyang’s state-run media had no reports of a delegation travelling to China.
At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, where foreign dignitaries usually stay, a large number of cops and about 50 vehicles were seen in the area, the South China Morning Post reported.
In Beijing, a car with a diplomatic plate allocated to the North Korean embassy was seen on Monday near the Great Hall of the People, Kyodo reported.
The apparent trip follows US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to grant an unprecedented meeting to Kim, after South Korean officials said he was willing to discuss giving up his nuclear weapons program.
Kim was expected to first meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in near their shared border next month ahead of the possible face-to-face with Mr Trump.
China has been one of the rogue regime’s most important allies, but relations have grown chilly because of Kim’s development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
This story was originally published in the New York Post and is reprinted with permission.
Details about the North Korean leader’s trip — including how long he would stay and whom he would meet — were not immediately available, according to three sources who spoke to Bloomberg News.
The people asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information, reports the New York Post.
A special train may have carried Kim through the northeastern Chinese border city of Dandong, Japan’s Kyodo News reported earlier.
Nippon TV showed images of a train arriving on Monday in Beijing that looked similar to one used by Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, to visit the Chinese capital a short time before his death in 2011.
Heavy security was reported at the Friendship Bridge before the train passed from North Korea to China.
A video that aired on NTV also showed a motorcade of black limos waiting at the train station and rows of Chinese soldiers marching on what appeared to be a train platform.
A spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said she was not aware of the situation and had no further comment. Pyongyang’s state-run media had no reports of a delegation travelling to China.
At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, where foreign dignitaries usually stay, a large number of cops and about 50 vehicles were seen in the area, the South China Morning Post reported.
In Beijing, a car with a diplomatic plate allocated to the North Korean embassy was seen on Monday near the Great Hall of the People, Kyodo reported.
The apparent trip follows US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to grant an unprecedented meeting to Kim, after South Korean officials said he was willing to discuss giving up his nuclear weapons program.
Kim was expected to first meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in near their shared border next month ahead of the possible face-to-face with Mr Trump.
China has been one of the rogue regime’s most important allies, but relations have grown chilly because of Kim’s development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
This story was originally published in the New York Post and is reprinted with permission.
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