North Korean Leader Spotted Limping, Dragging Foot

BEIJING, May 7, 2010 — -- China's state media finally confirmed what the international press has been reporting all week – that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was visiting the country.

State broadcaster China Central Television showed video of Kim and Hu Jintao embracing each other after shaking hands during their meeting in Beijing. At a banquet, he offered toasts and clinked his glass of wine with President Hu.

South Korean and Japanese camera crews who staked out Kim's hotel were able to catch on video the secretive North Korean leader limping and dragging his left foot, possibly the after-effect of a suspected stroke in 2008.

Perhaps out of diplomatic considerations for an ally, Chinese television did not show any extended walking shots of Kim during his tour. But it could not avoid showing some dark spots on Kim's face and hands in its newscasts, something Korea watchers will be analyzing in the weeks to come for clues on Kim's real state of health.

The 68-year-old North Korean leader wore his trademark zipped-up jacket and appeared thinner compared to his visit four years ago. But he looked animated during his meetings with the top Chinese leaders.

The Xinhua News agency described Kim's trip as an "unofficial visit" that included stops in the cities of Dalian, Shenyang and Tianjin. The Korean Central News agency said in a dispatch from Pyongyang that Kim "received a sincere and warm welcome from Chinese people wherever he went in China."

Kim used the trip to reaffirm the importance of nuclear disarmament talks sponsored by his Chinese hosts. He told Hu that North Korea "will work with China to create favorable conditions for restarting the six-party talks." Kim stressed that his country "remains unchanged in sticking to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula," according to Xinhua.

But the report did not say whether Kim made a firm commitment to return to the long-stalled negotiations, under which North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear programs in return for food and fuel aid. North Korea pulled out of the nuclear talks last year after it conducted a controversial nuclear test that resulted in tightened U.N. sanctions.

Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada was skeptical about the results of Kim's China visit. "I think it was good that there was mention of the six-party talks," he told reporters in Tokyo. "But realistically speaking, I don't think the talks can move forward unless the issue of the South Korean ship becomes clear."