N. Korean leader begins China trip

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il arrived in the Chinese port city of Dalian after crossing into the country by train early Monday.

Shortly after the North Korean train arrived in Dalian, a convoy of 15 limousines was seen arriving at a hotel in the city, Yonhap News reported.

Traffic in the area was halted for almost an hour until the convoy arrived, the report said.

This is Kim's first trip in four years to China, his country's last remaining major ally, and his first trip abroad since reportedly suffering a stroke in 2008.

The 17-car armored train carrying Kim arrived at the Chinese border town of Dandong at around 5:20 a.m. Security was heavy ahead of its arrival, with police officers surrounding the station and blocking off traffic in the area.

Kim is making the stop in Dalian, as some analysts say it may be connected to Pyongyang's plan to develop its own port, Rajin.

Rumors of such a trip have been spreading for months.

Speculation peaked in early April, when experts predicted he would meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and leverage a return to the six-party talks on the North's denuclearization in return for economic aid.

Prospects for the resumption of the talks were thrown into limbo by suspicions the North was behind the March 26 sinking of the South Korean Navy ship Cheonan, which went down near the highly-contested maritime border between the two Koreas.

Seoul has said a close-range torpedo explosion was the likely cause of the sinking, causing speculation of North Korean culpability. The North has denied any involvement in the incident.

If the findings of an ongoing multi-national investigation point to Pyongyang, Seoul's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan has said the issue could be taken before the U.N. Security Council.

Such a move could lead to further sanctions for the struggling state - but only if China, a permanent member of the council and the North's biggest economic backer, were to agree to the measure.

Pyongyang is already reeling from the tightened sanctions it incurred after its missile and nuclear tests last year. Beijing, meanwhile, is said to be wary of imposing further sanctions as increased instability within the North could lead to an exodus of refugees heading to China.

The impoverished state has refused to return to the negotiations until the sanctions are lifted and involved parties agree to discuss a peace treaty to end the Korean War.

The nuclear talks are hosted by China, and include South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia.

Officials here are also keeping an eye out to determine whether Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader's youngest son and the regime's heir-apparent, has made the trip as well. This scenario would likely confirm his status as successor

North Korea Leader Kim believed to be in China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is believed to have arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong early Monday by train and be heading to the port city of Dalian, Yonhap News reported.

"We have confirmed the arrival of a special train at Dandong, and we believe it is highly likely that Chairman Kim was on board," Yonhap quoted an official in Seoul as saying, referring to the North Korean leader by his official title as the head of the National Defense Commission.

The government is trying to confirm details, the official added.

The 17-carriage train arrived in Dandong around 5:20 a.m. (local time) Monday, one day after diplomatic sources in Seoul and in the Chinese capital said Kim's trip to China was imminent.

A diplomatic source in Beijing said Kim did arrive in China early Monday and was heading to Dalian.

"It is extremely rare to see a 17-carriage North Korean train come into China," the source said, asking not to be identified.

All regular passenger trains from North Korea to Dandong arrive in the afternoon and usually have only four or five coaches.

Some 200 Chinese police officers tightly surrounded the train station in Dandong early Monday, and the entire road in front of the station was blocked off to traffic ahead of the train's arrival. The blockade was taken down around 6:30 a.m.

It was not clear whether or why Kim would head to Dalian as his first stop. Watchers say it may have to do with North Korea's plan to develop its own port, Rajin.
Kim has visited China four times since 2000, by train only. He is said to be afraid of flying.

The North Korean leader's trip to China has long been anticipated by Seoul and Washington, who hoped that the visit will be followed by Pyongyang's announcement of its return to six-party talks on its denuclearization.

Such prospects, however, have dimmed with suspicions that the North may be behind the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship on March 26 that killed 46 young sailors aboard.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan earlier said his country will oppose resuming the nuclear negotiations if the communist North is found to have been involved in the sinking of the 1,200-ton warship, Cheonan, because the North "must be made to pay for its actions."

Kim's trip to China is believed to be aimed largely at winning economic assistance for his impoverished nation, which is under strengthened U.N. sanctions imposed last year after its missile and nuclear tests.