'Secret' visit of Kim Jong-il's son denied

The Foreign Ministry said yesterday it knew nothing about a reported "secret" visit to China of Kim Jong-il's youngest son.

"We have no knowledge of such a visit," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular press briefing when asked about the reported trip of the alleged heir to the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The Republic of Korea's Foreign Ministry and Unification Ministry yesterday said they could not confirm the account of the visit carried in Japan's Asahi newspaper on Tuesday.