Japanese news outlets report that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju returned home from China Thursday afternoon.

He dodged questions about whether he met with Chinese government officials

Kang went to Moscow via Beijing on November seventh. He appeared at Beijing International Airport Wednesday morning.

According to Kyodo News Agency, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news briefing on Thursday that the North Korean dipomat had not met with Chinese officials.