Beijing residents left in the dark during Kim Jong-un’s unexpected visit
A spate of road closures and unusually tight security led residents to correctly speculate the North Korean leader was visiting the Chinese capital
Beijing’s citizens were left guessing just what was happening in the capital amid a spate of road closures and tight security measures as official outlets remained tight-lipped for hours about the persistent rumours that Kim Jong-un was in town.
Residents living near one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the Chinese capital reported unusually tight levels of security.
The roads around the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse – where foreign dignitaries usually stay – had been cordoned off and residents said that on Monday they had been told not to wander around the area
Many locals in this district of west Beijing described the measures as “unusual” and one road sweeper said the levels of security were “even stricter than during the Two Sessions”, the recent gathering of officials for their annual parliamentary meeting.
As reporters were held back behind a cordon a couple of hundred metres away, a convoy of vehicles accompanied by an escort of police on motorbikes left the compound at around 9.30 on Tuesday morning, returning just over two hours later.