China is staying mum about when it became aware of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin on Wednesday told a regular news briefing that Beijing cannot confirm media reports that China was aware of Kim's death on Saturday, the day Kim died. The spokesman made the same comment on Monday when the North announced the death, saying that there is no more to brief on the issue.

Some South Korean media outlets reported that China was notified by the North on Saturday that a critical incident took place in the country and was notified the next day that the critical incident was the death of Kim.