ArirangNews

Our top story this afternoon...
Reports say a high-ranking North Korean official arrived in Beijing on late Monday,... using a special train previously used by the regime's former leader Kim Jong-il.
Extra tight security around the city and a convoy that seemed to head towards a state guest house... has raised speculation that the VVIP may be no other than North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
But nothing has confirmed,... with some watchers suggesting it could be one of Kim's close aides or other top officials.
Oh Jung-hee starts us off.
A high-ranking North Korean official is in Beijing.
It's not clear who exactly it is,... but speculation points to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,... his sister Kim Yo-jong,... or North Korea's de facto second-in-command Choe Ryong-hae.

A convoy was seen in Beijing after ten o'clock Monday night,... heading from The Great Hall of People towards Diaoyutai State Guest House... where high-level foreign visitors stay.
Citing unidentified sources, Bloomberg reported... that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had made a surprise trip to Beijing,... but added that no further details were available.
Japanese media also reported... a special train, similar to the one previous North Korean leader Kim Jong-il used for his China visit,... was spotted in Beijing.
It was reported that security around the city was extra tight,... with several trains delayed and tourists cleared from the area near Tiananmen Square.

A Chinese military source told Reuters that the possibility of the figure being Kim Jong-un cannot be ruled out.
But South Korean media are also suggesting... that the figure could be Kim Yo-jong -- who came to South Korea as Pyongyang's special envoy last month -- or Choe Ryong-hae,... a close aide to Kim Jong-un.

South Korea's presidential office says... it's been aware of such movement since a few days ago... but does not know exactly who is in Beijing.
China's foreign ministry says it knows nothing about the alleged visit,... while Washington says it cannot verify reports of the trip... and doesn't know if they are necessarily true.

If the figure visiting China is Kim Jong-un, then this will be his first known overseas trip since taking power in 2011.
And this trip comes ahead of his summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump in April and May.
In 2007, Kim's late father Kim Jong-il visited China two weeks before his talks with former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.