The U.S. Student in Kim Jong Un's Hands

There are five flights a week from Pyongyang to Beijing by Air Koryo, North Korea's state airline, and the earliest leaves at 8:20 on Saturday mornings. If you're one of the several hundred American tourists who defy their State Department's official warning and travel to the authoritarian hermit state each year, this will easily get you to the Chinese capital in time for one of several afternoon flights stateside.

The morning of Jan. 2, 2016, was foggy and cold.