Japanese journalists 'offered $10,000' for video of Kim Jong-Il

Japanese journalists offered supermarket staff $10,000 for footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's visit to their East Siberian store, a spokesperson for the supermarket said on Tuesday. Kim had talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Ulan-Ude, a city in the republic of Buryatia last week. Kim was traveling in his own armored train and opportunities for journalists to take photographs or film the reclusive North Korean leader were extremely limited. "The Japanese TV crew started with an offer of 10,000 rubles ($350) for a USB stick with the footage of Kim Jong-Il, but eventually reached the astronomical sum of $10,000," the spokesperson for the Ulan-Ude store Megatitan said. The journalists went away empty-handed, however, the spokesperson added.