S. Korea keeping tabs on possible China trip by Kim Jong-il

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government has not detected any signs
that a visit to China by the North Korean leader may be pending despite continued
media speculation, but does not rule out the possibility, a senior official said
Thursday.
"There have been no special signs yet. We have not confirmed related news
reports," the official at the presidential office, or Cheong Wa Dae, said. "We
are closely monitoring relevant reports."
Speculation has swirled over the possibility that the North's leader Kim Jong-il
will soon travel to China, his first such trip since 2006. Some Japanese
newspapers reported earlier this week that North Korea has already restricted
public access to its northwestern part near the Chinese border city of Dandong
and also dispatched an advance team to China to prepare for Kim's trip.
Unusually reponding to a hypothetical question, a high-ranking U.S. State
Department official said, "We have always welcomed interaction with North Korea
by our partners in the six-party process, and we welcome that interaction if Kim
Jong-il travels to Beijing."
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and a few other top Chinese officials visited
Pyongyang last year and many observers here say Kim may travel to China in the
foreseeable future in advance of Pyongyang's full-fledged negotiations with
Washington and probably another round of inter-Korean summit.
South Korean nuclear negotiators agree that Kim's trip to China, if made, will
help facilitate the resumption of the six-party nuclear talks also involving
Russia and Japan.
The Beijing-based negotiations are unlikely to be reconvened before the Lunar New
Year's holiday in mid-February but Kim's trip could lead to an earlier
resumption, they said.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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