North Korean dictator's mystery train to China

SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was believed to be making a rare trip to China amid tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship and stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations, South Korean reports said.

Kim's train arrived at the Chinese border town of Dandong, and the delegation later headed to the port city of Dalian, the Yonhap news agency said.

North Korea's reclusive leader rarely travels abroad but had been rumoured to be planning a trip to neighbouring China.

Officials at South Korea's presidential Blue House, Unification Ministry and Foreign Ministry said they could not immediately confirm the reports.

A potential Kim visit to China has been a focus of attention in recent months, with six-nation nuclear disarmament talks stalled for a year and tensions rising over the sinking of a South Korean naval ship in late March.

Kim, following through on Chinese President Hu Jintao's invitation last year to visit China as part of celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the allies' friendship, was expected to ask Beijing for financial help as Pyongyang copes with an economic crisis at home.

The trip would be Kim's first to China since 2006. Kim, known to shun air travel, has a fleet of luxurious trains equipped with reception halls, conference rooms and high-tech communication facilities, said Lee Yong Guk, a former Kim bodyguard who defected to South Korea in 2005. Kim's special train typically travels flanked by two other trains, one that ensures the safety of railway lines and another carrying security agents.

-AP