BEIJING, May 6 (UPI) -- Kim Jong Il, the "Dear Leader" of North Korea, was believed to be on his way home after a brief visit to China, sources in Beijing and Seoul said.
Yonhap News Agency in South Korea cited diplomatic sources in Beijing who said a 40-vehicle motorcade left the Diaoyutai State Guest House at 4:10 p.m., traveling toward the station. At 4:30 p.m., a special North Korean train got under way.
Kim, son of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the Communist North Korean state, is secretive about his movements. Even in North Korea, his rare public appearances are not announced beforehand and reported only a day or two later.
South Korean intelligence sources said North Korean security forces near the border with China were on special alert from May 3 to May 6.
Kim is believed to have met with both Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday that China hopes to revive the six-party talks on North Korea, suggesting Kim is willing to come to the table in exchange for economic aid from China.
