North Korean (NK) leader Kim Jong Il visited China,
during the summit of China, Japan and South Korea.
It is rare for Kim Jong Il to visit China three times
within a year. An outsider' analysis pointed out
that this indicates NK's seeking of help from China,
so NK would not face political and economic
difficulties at home and isolation internationally.
South Korean media reported that on May 20,
Kim Jong Il arrived in Yanbian Jilin by train,
via Mudanjiang and Changchun. He visited
the Changchun First Automobile on May 21.
It is learned that this company would invest in NK.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Lee Myung-bak,
South Korean President on May 22 in Tokyo,
that the purpose of Kim's visit is to understand
China's development and thus gain a reference.
After a 29-hour train ride, Kim Jong Il arrived
at Yangzhou, Jiangsu. Kim visited a supermarket
and a solar technology company.
On May 24, he arrived at Nanking and visited
the Panda Electronics, Olympic Stadium
and the World Museum. In the afternoon,
he went to Beijing and talked with Chinese leaders.
North Korea lacks energy, food and essential raw
materials and also suffers under the United Nations'
sanction due to its nuclear program.
Voice of America pointed out on May 23,
that China was concerned with NK's refugees rush
if NK would collapse due to economic catastrophe.
The South Korean presidential spokesman referred
to Kim's visit as "an educational trip.”
Analysts in Japan said that Kim's China visit
was an embarrassing request for assistance
from China to solve food shortage crisis in NK.
Wang Weizheng, a Professor of Political Science,
at the University of Richmond:
"N. Korea is probably facing economy hardships.
Although a few years ago it voiced out that it wants
to imitate China's reform and opening up policies.
I think he wants to learn something from China."
According to Yonhap, in South Korea was held
a "Seminar on food aid to North Korea.”.
Claudia von Roehl from the World Food Program
said on behalf of North Korea that due to reduction
of food production and international assistance,
6 million Koreans will suffer from food shortages.
Robert King, U.S. State Department's
NK human rights envoy, visited NK on May 24,
to assess the situation of food shortages there
and also to raise the issue with NKs' human rights.
Based on the assessment, Korea and the U.S.
will decide if food aid programs can restart in NK.
Due to the Cheonan and Yin Ping Island incidents
last year Korea and the U.S. completely cut off aids
to North Korea. Under this situation, Chosun Ilbo
of South Korea reported that Kim's brother-in-law
Jang visited Jilin Province in May and signed
a lease of the “Golden Plain” at the downstream
of Yalu River to China for 100 years.
Su Zhan (Economics' Professor, University of Laval,
Canada): setting up special administrative regions
but it needed an institutional reform. NK is facing
two major political issues today, one is the tension
in East Asia, in particular a series of moves by NK,
the other is a question of its inheritance.”
Yonhap reported that in 2009 North Korea amended
the constitution and the word “communism”
was replaced by "military-first ideology."
Last September, Kim Jong Il extended
the hereditary dictatorship further and established
27-year-old Kim Zhengen (his third son) as his heir.
And Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported:
“After being confirmed as the heir, Kim Zhengen
frequently published his remarks about economy
such as 'In the past, we could tolerate no food,
but not without bullets, now we can tolerate
no bullets but not without food'. He also said:
'All civilians will have rice and meat
within three years'.”
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stressed at the summit
on May 22, that through dialogues tensions between
North and South Korea could be eased,
but he too is opposing a nuclear North Korea.
The Korean nuclear issue was raised again
during the US-China summit early this year.
Then leaders from US, Japan and Korea agreed,
that denuclearization of the Korean peninsula
will greatly promote peace and stability
in Northeast Asia. An outsider pointed out
that North Korea's nuclear program is actually
a scheme between China and North Korea
to blackmail the international community.
