He's Still There

Perhaps it was nothing more than wishful thinking by his many enemies, but the wildest rumor to sweep through Asian financial markets last week was that Kim Jong Il, North Korea's despotic leader, was shot in the head by his brother-in-law's son during a palace coup. Quickly dismissed as pure fantasy, the rumor of Kim's demise was merely the most extreme example of recent speculation regarding the fate of Kim's Stalinist regime.

South Korean newspapers last week reported that 10,000 Chinese troops were digging in along the North Korean border, possibly to repel a wave of refugees...