Kim Jong-il has returned home after wrapping up a four-day trip to China.

A Chinese official who accompanied Kim said a special train carrying the reclusive North Korean leader and his entourage arrived in the North early Thursday after departing from Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Beijing confirmed Wednesday that Kim paid a four-day visit to China at the invitation of President Hu Jinato. China?s official Xinhua News Agency said that Kim and Hu agreed to push forward on holding six-party talks to seek a resolution to the North's nuclear standoff.

The reports added that China had pledged further economic aid to the poverty-stricken North and that Kim had invited Hu to visit Pyongyang.

It was the first confirmation of the visit by the Chinese side, which had been withholding details until after Kim's return to the North.