Out on the Road

Keeping track of Kim Jong Il on his secret trips outside North Korea is a bit like trying to detect a subatomic particle: proof of his passing can be gleaned only from disturbances in his wake. Witness last week's surge in speculation when Kim was said to be visiting China, stopping in several cities before making his way to Beijing where it was thought—maybe—he might discuss the future of his nuclear-weapons program with Chinese leaders.

Kim apparently arrived in China by train last Tuesday. Guests at a popular five-star hotel in Guangzhou were abruptly cleared out on Thursday without explanation; reporters then witnessed a large, official-looking motorcade arrive. The first confirmed sighting of the Dear Leader came on Friday, when he visited a university library in Guangzhou. Meanwhile North Korea and China remained characteristically mum on his movements, while South Korea has said it was completely in the dark. U.S. diplomat Christopher Hill said all he knew for sure was that he—Hill—definitely was headed for Beijing late last week to discuss North Korea's nukes.

Earlier, Kim was said to have visited Shanghai, but—if true—this seemed to be news to many residents. "No, he didn't come here," said a vendor at Shanghai's Xiangyang market. "But send him back, I'll give him a good price on winter coats."