Report: N. Korean Leader to Visit China

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il plans to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao for the first time in a trip he will make to China within a month, possibly as early as next week, a Japanese newspaper reported Saturday.

The main purpose of the trip would be to bring the leaders of two countries together for the first time since Hu took office in March of last year, the Asahi quoted one of its sources as saying.


Beijing also appears to want to hear Kim’s position on North Korea’s nuclear program and use the meeting to make progress in six-party talks over the country’s development of nuclear weapons, the Asahi said.


China has hosted two sessions of crucial talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programs. The two rounds, also involving the United States, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas, ended without much progress.