A senior government official said Wednesday that there is no sign yet of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s possible visit to China.

The official told reporters that Seoul checked whether a group of North Koreans who recently appeared in Beijing were preparing for Kim’s visit. However, the official said, they turned out to be participating in an economic event.

He said when the North Korean leader visited China in the past, signs usually appeared one week before. There are no signs yet of Kim’s rumored visit to Beijing.

Still, the official noted that Seoul is keeping a close eye out in case of a visit, as Pyongyang is making efforts to keep it confidential.

Another senior government official said that while Seoul is watching North Korea closely for a possible visit to Beijing and Pyongyang’s moves to test nuclear weapons, there is no concrete sign as of yet.

The official added that Seoul and Washington are cooperating closely to share information about the issues.