Summary
Kim Jong-il was as revered at home as he was vilified abroad. The death of the North Korean leader, known to his people as the Great Leader, offers both a threat and an opportunity. It could mark the reassertion of absolute control or the opening of politics and the markets. The carefully worded statements emanating yesterday from world leaders echo a nervous recognition that the country once identified by George Bush as part of the "axis of evil" is at a turning point.
Though the dictator's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, has been named as the chosen successor, he is unknown and untested. While his father had two decades to prepare for power, Kim Jong-un was chosen less than two years ago. As he seeks to consolidate his control over the impoverished country with its limping Soviet-style command economy, there are fears that internal problems could spill into bordering countries. North Korea has a habit of using sabre- rattling to detract attention from domestic instability. Relations with South Korea are already clouded by the sinking last year of one of its ships and the shelling of a disputed island on the border, costing 50 lives.See the full content of this document
Extract
North Korea at the Crossroads After Death of Kim Jong-Il
Nevertheless, the situation also offers an opportunity. North Korea badly needs aid as it struggles t...
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