N. Korean leader stops in China's Inner Mongolia on way home from Russia trip

BEIJING/MANZHOULI, China, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il left for an undisclosed destination Friday after spending a night in an Inner Mongolia city in China on his way back from Russia, a source said.
Kim spent a night in the northeastern city of Hulunbeier after arriving from the eastern Siberian city of Ulan-Ude, where he met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday.
Kim sent a message of thanks to Medvedev and expressed hope that friendly ties with Russia will strengthen.
"I am very satisfied that I met you and reached a consensus of views on all issues of mutual concern during my visit to Russia," Kim said in the message carried Friday by the North's Korean Central News Agency.
The state-run news agency reported late Thursday that Kim will pay a visit to China's northeastern region on his way home after his trip to Siberia and Russia's Far East.
The KCNA, however, did not elaborate on Kim's plans and itinerary.
On Thursday, Kim's armored train arrived in the Chinese border city of Manzhouli where he was greeted by senior Chinese Communist Party envoy Wang Jiarui and other officials, the KCNA said in a separate dispatch on Friday.
Wang told Kim that he had arrived in Manzhouli to guide Kim at the instruction of Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders, the KCNA said.
Kim attended a banquet and arts performance before heading to Hulunbeier. The train left for an undisclosed destination Friday morning, the source said.
In May, he met with the Chinese president in his third trip to the North's most important ally in just over a year.
The decision to cross Chinese territory this time, however, may simply be a move to shorten Kim's train ride back to his country.