PYONGYANG, North Korea, March 5 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il visited the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang in an apparent bid to mend ties, the North's official media said Monday.
During the visit Sunday, Kim was given a "verbal personal message" from Chinese President Hu Jintao, the North's Korean Central News Agency said, without elaborating on the content of the message.
The visit was made at the invitation of Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Liu Xiaoming, it said.
Kim was accompanied by a group of senior officials, such as Kim Ki Nam, secretary of the ruling Workers' Party, and Kang Sok Ju, first vice foreign minister, the news agency said.
The visit comes amid intense diplomacy to end the communist North's nuclear standoff. South Korean officials said Kim's visit seems aimed at improving bilateral ties strained after the North's missile and nuclear tests last year.
