Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea soon, possibly as early as next week, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing government sources in Seoul.
One of Yonhap's sources said a team of security and presidential protocol officials had recently traveled to Pyongyang, adding that Xi's visit is believed to take place at the end of the month or early June.
The same source said this assessment is supported by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Pyongyang last month, as well as recent trips by members of Xi's personal security and protocol officials to the North Korean capital.
During his meeting with Wang Yi, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed his intention to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication with Beijing.
He also referred to his visit to China last year, underlining the importance of bilateral relations.
This year, the two countries celebrate the 65th anniversary of the signing of their comprehensive cooperation treaty.
Xi Jinping's possible visit to the isolated regime in Pyongyang also comes after his summit with US President Donald Trump in Beijing last week.
During their talks, the two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea.
Another government source said the Chinese president may seek to play a mediating role in relations between North Korea and the United States.
According to the same source, during South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's official visit to China in January, the latter had asked Xi to help mediate inter-Korean relations.
Xi Jinping reportedly responded positively to this request.
