Eldest son of late Kim spotted in Beijing: Reports

Seoul: The eldest son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has been spotted in Beijing almost a month after his father's death, South Korean media reports said on Monday.

Kim Jong-Nam was seen by South Koreans waiting at Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport for an Air China flight to Macau on Saturday afternoon, Chosun Ilbo newspaper and Yonhap news agency reported.

Kim reportedly confirmed his identity to Park Seung-Jun, a professor at Incheon University west of Seoul, and said he usually travels alone.

Asked if he had been surprised by his father's sudden death on December 17, he reportedly replied: "It's only natural". His response to a question about whether he had attended his father's funeral was unclear.

Chosun quoted diplomatic sources in Beijing as saying that Jong-Nam had not attended the elaborate funeral in Pyongyang on December 28.

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It said he is a frequent visitor to Beijing, where his first wife and son Kum-Sol, aged 15, live.

Jong-Nam has lived in virtual exile, mainly in the Chinese territory of Macau, for many years after falling out of favour with his father. His younger half-brother Kim Jong-Un has been proclaimed new leader of the communist state.

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Jong-Nam last year gave an interview to the Tokyo Shimbun in which he was quoted as saying he opposed the idea of a dynastic power transfer.

Last week the newspaper said Jong-Nam, in an email, had reiterated his opposition to the concept of inherited power.

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The eldest son was also quoted as saying that he believes his half-brother would likely be merely a symbol used by ruling elites to maintain their grip on power.