Kim Jong Il`s visit puts Yangzhou under de facto martial law

Kim Jong Il`s visit puts Yangzhou under de facto martial law. May. 24, 2011 05:30. mungchii@donga.com.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il`s tour of Yangzhou in China`s Jiangsu Province Monday afternoon put the Chinese city in a virtual state of martial law.

He toured a high-tech energy company in Yangzhou in the morning and a nearby shopping mall in the afternoon on the fourth day of his China visit.

The city`s Hanjiang Economic Development District that Kim visited comprises the five major industries of metallic sheet, electricity and electronics, bioengineering and medicine, renewable energy and software.

The North`s leader departed from his hotel around 9 a.m., visited Jingao Solar Energy in the district, and returned to the hotel in two hours.

He toured the district under tight security. When he left his hotel, his car was followed by a parade of more than 40 vehicles as his visit was conducted virtually in secrecy.

When Kim visited a nearby shopping mall just a one-minute drive from his hotel in the afternoon, his car was escorted by the same number of cars.

Visiting the mall for about 30 minutes, he stopped by edible oil and rice shops on the second floor and tried to smell rice. Store owners said Kim expressed interest in the types of products and prices.

His 100-member entourage at the mall was guided by Yangzhou Mayor Wang Yan Wen. Afterwards, Kim visited a dairy product store and vegetable and fruit sellers amid restricted customer access to the mall.

A source in Beijing says that even if Kim held talks with former Chinese President Jiang Zhemin, the encounter would have no political meaning, citing Kim’s potential request for support of the North`s power succession.

Another matter of interest is who among the next generation of top Chinese leaders, including Vice President Xi Jin-ping, attended the meeting with Kim. Rumors say Xi waited for Kim at the train station before the latter`s arrival to welcome the North Korean leader and got in Kim’s train.