Kim Jong-Il Visits China
Readers in North America may have oil spills and New York bombing plots as the top stories on their news broadcasts, but here in Japan, the big story is Kim Jong-Il’s surprise visit to China:
The media is wild with speculation. Could he be planning to visit the North Korean pavilion at the Shanghai Expo? Is he in need of some kind of medical care? Most experts seem to think he’s visiting China to ask for economic aid:
China has propped up the North’s leaders for decades. Analysts say even though Beijing is increasingly fed up with its provocative neighbor, it is willing to bankroll Kim to prevent chaos on its border.
Kim will demand sweeteners to rein in his military and return to international nuclear disarmament talks hosted by Beijing, analysts said. He crossed into China in the predawn hours in his armored train and went to the port city of Dalian, South Korean officials said.
Every Japanese network has rushed to provide some coverage on the story. As you can see in the above clip, FTV had Kim Jong-il’s former chef on their news program so he could confirm that the train was indeed the Dear Leader’s special train. Perhaps the most impressive reporting was done by NTV, which managed to get a camera in a vantage point overlooking the lobby of the hotel in Dalian where Kim is said to be staying. Their work paid off and they were able to confirm the presence of a person who looks just like the Dear Leader:
The latest rumor is that Kim Jong-Il’s son and heir may be accompanying his father on the trip. It will be interesting to see if the media can get some updated footage of Kim Jong-Un.
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