Kim Jong-il, Son Visited Coastal Forces Before Yeonpyeong Attack

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his son Jong-un visited coastal areas in South Hwanghae Province and met with General Kim Kyok-sik, the commander of the frontline fourth corps in charge of a Navy base there just before the North shelled Yeonpyeong Island on Tuesday, the South Korean military says.

A member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Wednesday said military intelligence obtained the information and is trying to figure out whether the visit was directly related to the attack.

Just before the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in March, the South Korean military "had confidential information that Kim Jong-il met Kim Yong-chol, the director of the General Reconnaissance Bureau at the People's Armed Forces, so now it's focusing on the possibility of Kim Jong-il and his son approving the shelling of Yeonpyeong while meeting with Kim Kyok-sik," he said.