IT'S OFFICIAL: Kim Jong Il went to China. North Korea confirmed it! Thus it really, truly did happen. Said visit provoked this thought from Robert Koehler:

Something else, too. It’s being widely reported that Kim’s visit is to seek Chinese approval of his son, Kim Jong-un, as successor to the family business. Now, I don’t really doubt that it this stage in North Korea’s decline, Pyongyang is very dependent on Chinese largess for the regime’s survival. Still, it seems to me odd — given Pyongyang’s nationalist rhetoric — that Kim would seemingly resurrect the old Joseon practice of Korea seeking Chinese approval of Korean kings, a practice — while mostly ceremonial — still symbolized Korea’s relationship as a tributary of China. If I were a South Korean leader, I’d be very worried about what that means.

Maaa-an, China doesn't really want the DPRK, do they? 20 million starving people? Though China does have that Borg-like appetite for raw materials, and I'm sure that's lots of stuff buried in the ground in the North...

(Note: ignore Robert's Carter-bashing in that post, everyone has their silly spots.)

Also: The Korean on the same visit.