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 thoughtmaybehe 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...