The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has arrived in Beijing en route to Pyongyang for his father’s 64th birthday.

According to friends of Kim Jong-nam, he arrived in the Chinese capital Sunday and will fly to Pyongyang on Tuesday for his father’s birthday celebration on Friday. Kim will return to Beijing after the festivities, the largest of the year in North Korea.

Kim’s arrival in the Chinese capital was filmed by Japanese reporters, who were apparently tipped off about his trip.

Asked about the purpose of his trip to China, Kim said he is in Beijing for personal reasons, adding that he has nothing to do with the six-way nuclear talks or U.S. financial sanctions on his country.

The junior Kim was recently reported to have been living the high life during the past three years in Macao, a casino haven in southern China.