Though reporters and diplomats had tracked the reclusive
North Korean dictator's travels by trying to spot his special train and
motorcade through northeast China, the simultaneous dispatches from both countries'
state media were the first official confirmation of Kim's five-day visit. The
releases likely signaled that the trip was over as both countries usually wait
for Kim to return home before acknowledging his visits.
China Central Television showed footage on its main
evening broadcast of a paunchy, 68-year-old Kim embracing Chinese President Hu
Jintao on Friday in the northeast city of Changchun.
Not seen in the footage nor mentioned in other Chinese
and North Korean media was Kim's third son and heir-apparent, Kim Jong Un, who
was rumored to have been part of the delegation. Foreign diplomats in Beijing
briefed separately on the visit said Communist Party officials also did not say
if the son was present.
Diplomats and analysts who follow the isolated, impoverished
country have speculated that a goal of Kim's trip was to bolster support from
China, North Korea's main benefactor, for his youngest son, ahead of a rare
Workers' Party congress next month.
While the state media accounts did not mention Kim's son
by name, the elder dictator did touch on North Korea's political transition,
telling Chinese leaders that their successors should build upon the strong
bonds the countries share.
"With the international situation remaining
complicated, it is our important historical mission to hand over to the rising
generation the baton of the traditional friendship passed over by the
revolutionary forerunners of the two countries as a precious asset so as to
carry it forward through generations," the Korean Central News Agency
quoted Kim as telling Hu in a banquet toast on Friday.
Cui Yingjiu, a retired professor of Korean literature at
China's Peking University and former classmate of Kim Jong Il, said the North
Korean leader likely brought his son along for a family history lesson.
"I think he is probably bringing his son to visit
the middle school that Kim Il Sung attended, and to visit the revolutionary
site where he fought against Japan," Cui said.
Kim has three sons but is said to favor the youngest,
despite his youth and inexperience. However, little is known about Kim Jong Un.
The only known photo of him was taken when he was a child. If he assumes power,
it will continue a dynastic tradition that began when Kim Jong Il took over
after his own father's death.
Kim's trip is his second to China in three months --
unusual for someone who rarely leaves his country. His May trip included talks
with Hu and tours of companies and economic zones.
That trip, unlike the current one, was preceded by months
of speculation that Kim would visit China.
