No yuan for Kim Jong-un
Seoul (AsiaNews) - Jang Song-taek, a leading figure in North Korea, apparently "returned empty-handed from a China. Beijing refused to grant Pyongyang fresh economic assistance and does not plan to do so anytime soon. Instead, the Communist regime gave a lesson on the principles of the free market to the North Korean leader," a source inside the South Korean Interior Ministry told AsiaNews.
The source said that the visit by Kim Jong-un's uncle and mentor to the Chinese capital "did not lead to anything concrete. Hit by floods and landslides, North Korea asked for international aid, and hoped that China would pick up the bill but that will not happen. Beijing is fed up with Kim's military provocations and is pushing for the country to open up."
Jang met President Hu Jintao, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Trade Minister Chen Deming and a high ranking official, Wang Jiarui. "Hu and Wen met him out of courtesy. From what we know, they expressed a desire for mutual prosperity and nothing more. Chen, for his part, told the North Korean delegation how a free market system works. No pledges of money were made."
A diplomatic source noted that China pushed for the trip. "Kim Jong-un knows that Beijing does not like sudden changes. The removal of Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, chief of the General Staff, on Kim's orders probably unnerved some Communist leaders. Perhaps, this is why he sent his uncle to explain the situation."
For Gwang Joo, from the Gyeonggi Research Institute, the importance of the first trip by a high ranking since Kim Jong-un came to power cannot be underestimated. The new dictator wants asserts the principle of Sino-North Korean friendship, which is in fact a form of dependency.
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