Our top story this afternoon...<br />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.<br />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.<br />But nothing has confirmed,... with some watchers suggesting it could be one of Kim's close aides or other top officials.<br />Oh Jung-hee starts us off. <br /> A high-ranking North Korean official is in Beijing.<br />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.<br /><br /> 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.<br /> 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.<br /> 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.<br /> It was reported that security around the city was extra tight,... with several trains delayed and tourists cleared from the area near Tiananmen Square.<br /><br /> A Chinese military source told Reuters that the possibility of the figure being Kim Jong-un cannot be ruled out.<br /> 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.<br /><br /> 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.<br /> 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.<br /><br /> If the figure visiting China is Kim Jong-un, then this will be his first known overseas trip since taking power in 2011.<br />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.<br /> In 2007, Kim's late father Kim Jong-il visited China two weeks before his talks with former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News. <br />
