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August 29, 2010

Kim Jong Il's Shadowy Trip to China

Bill Powell, Time

AP Photo

The international man of mystery boarded the midnight train from Pyongyang, headed (for reasons known only to him and his unforthcoming hosts) to China. It's the only foreign country North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ever travels to, and, up until now at least, only infrequently. (He's made six trips to China since becoming leader in 1995.) China always plays along with the weirdness that is Kim Jong Il and North Korea. When any other head of state visits the country, there is the routine fanfare that goes along with it: a greeting at the airport, the strut in front of the honor guard, meetings with senior officials, snippets of which are usually shown on CCTV, China's state owned broadcast propaganda organ.


TAGGED: Kim Jong Il, North Korea, China

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