After the inauguration of hardline conservative Lee Myung-bak as South Korea's president, the North Korean dictator makes a surprise visit to the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang. Analysts comment: it is the only way to avoid isolation.

Pyongyang (AsiaNews) - The visit of North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong-il to the Chinese embassy, which took place amid great secrecy last weekend, indicates the efforts to reinforce ties with Beijing, now that the new government of South Korea (hostile to Pyongyang) has come into office.  This is being reported today by the newspapers in Seoul.

According to the newspaper Dong-A, "the pro-American and pro-Japanese statements released by new president Lee Myung-bak force Kim Jong-il, in a certain sense, to draw closer again to China, his only ally.  This visit, the fourth since Kim took power, is a sort of  'respectful bow' of North Korean leadership to its Chinese 'older brothers'".

During his conversation with Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming, the dictator thanked president Hu Jintao for the birthday good wishes sent to him, and delivered a text for the leadership in Beijing. Present together with him were military chief of staff Kim Kyok-sik and deputy foreign minister Kang Sok-ju .

Yang moo-jin, president of North Korean studies at the university of Seoul, explains: "North Korea has no choice: it must again draw as close as possible to China, if it wants to avoid complete diplomatic isolation.  This is the only way to maintain an appearance of power".

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