North Korean leader Kim Jong Il - who shuns air travel - has six luxurious special trains equipped with conference rooms, bedrooms and high-tech communication facilities, a South Korean newspaper says.

Two luxury yachts, which were about to be shipped to China for the eventual use of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, have been impounded by Italian police in Viareggio.

The yachts are valued at €13m, Ibinews (International Boat Industry) reports.

Italy’s financial police, along with help from Austrian authorities, traced the yachts under a sting called Operation Flybridge.