Korea - Reclusive North Korean leader Mr Kim Jong-il is reported to have cancelled a planned second trip to China this year following the embarrassing deportation of his son and heir from Japan, writes Miriam Donohoe. A South Korean newspaper claimed yesterday that Mr Kim Jong-il had planned to travel to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen for a week-long visit starting on May 7th.
It was speculated that the decision to cancel the trip was directly related to the deportation to China from Japan of his son, Mr Kim Jong-nam. He and three travelling companions, including his four-year-old son, were detained in Tokyo after arriving from Singapore and found to be carrying a fake passport from the Dominican Republic.
The South Korean newspaper quoted a source as saying Mr Kim Jong-il notified China that it would be difficult for him to travel after the incident with his son. Mr Kim Jongnam was scheduled to accompany his father to China.