South Korea ? Kim Jong Il might be on the road again.

A South Korean military intelligence official says Kim visited China – for the first time since April 2004 – but the South Koreans don’t know why.

It’s big news that the North Korean leader would travel to China – he rarely leaves his country.

Chinese President Hu Jintao visited North Korea in October.

Kim’s visit comes as North Korea sent its highest-level signal yet that international talks aimed at ending its nuclear programs are unlikely to resume soon. A Foreign Ministry spokesman issued a statement repeating its demand that the U.S. drop sanctions to end the impasse.