There were no meetings between high-ranking Chinese officials and Kim Jong-un, the designated successor to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, during the latter's visit to China in August, South Korea's JoongAng Daily reported Wednesday. "Kim Jong-un may have accompanied his father on the trip, but there were no meetings with high-ranking Chinese officials," the report said, citing a Chinese official who conveyed this information to Gu Sang-chan, a representative of South Korea's Grand National Party. "There has never been a political visit by Kim Jong-un to China," the source told Gu. When Kim Jong-il and his son paid a surprise visit to China in August, some reports said Chinese officials also greeted Kim Jong-un, suggesting Beijing's acceptance of Pyongyang's power transfer, according to the newspaper. The Chinese official ridiculed media outlets in South Korea and Japan for reporting "wrong facts with unconfirmed information," the paper added, citing Gu. "We have not received any news about whether Kim Jong-un has met with Chinese officials. So it is not appropriate to give any opinion on the issue," an official at the North Korean embassy in Beijing told the Global Times Wednesday. Agencies - Global Times |