BEIJING - A Chinese private jet was spotted leaving Pyongyang on Sunday morning, just an hour after it landed in the North Korean capital, according to a flight route-tracking website.
Korean news agency Yonhap reported that the plane, operated by Air China, was detected at the airport by Flightradar24 at 8.30am (7.30am Singapore time). It had arrived at the same airport at 7.20am local time, after leaving Beijing leaving Beijing Capital International Airport at 4.18am.
It is not known if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un got on the plane. Mr Kim, whose official title is Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is expected to arrive in Singapore later on Sunday for the anticipated summit with US President Donald Trump.
Yonhap said the Boeing 747-4J6 plane is known to be a private jet used by the Chinese government for its top officials, including President Xi Jinping.
Flightradar24 did not say where the plane was headed for. Yonhap said government chartered planes often do not disclose their routes for security reasons. The website did not detect other flights leaving Pyongyang, said Yonhap.
Mr Trump is on route to Singapore from Canada after wrapping up the G7 Summit. He is expected to arrive in Singapore at 8.35pm on Sunday at Paya Lebar Airbase.
The two men will meet on Tuesday at 9am for denuclearisation talks at the Capella hotel on Sentosa. They will also have separate bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday.
