BEIJING - All the press coverage of the allegedly "grave illness" of North
Korean leader Kim Jong-il proves again that the "Dear Leader" of the planet's
most reclusive country is still a hot media commodity.
With news hounds in a frenzy over Kim's absence from an anniversary parade in
Pyongyang this week, North Korean officials have received a flurry of inquiries
about what is really going on.
"I've been getting a lot of questions on this matter for the last few days," a
North Korean diplomat, who requested anonymity, told Asia Times Online. "The
most reliable intelligence is the comment by Kim Young-nam, who said there is
'no problem' [with Kim Jong-il's health]."
But this seemingly innocuous information, a de facto repetition of
a statement given by the number two leader in North Korea, carries its own
significance. For one thing, it shows that North Koreans are talking more,
compared with their previous practice of reticence. Contrary to common
perception, North Koreans are very proud people and it's likely that the
diplomat actually told the truth, but borrowed the words of Kim Young-nam for
his political safety.
In fact, the latest media reports claim that Kim Jong-il is on the road to
recovery from a stroke and is still very much running the country.
Kim, 66, is suspected of suffering long-standing illnesses. His absence at a
parade on Tuesday in commemoration of North Korea's auspicious 60th anniversary
sparked international suspicion and speculation.
Apparently, North Korea wasn't pleased with the media attention on the
allegedly waning health of its top leader.
"There have been a raft of adverse news reports surrounding chairman Kim's
health and his private life since last year. It has gotten worse by the media
outlets in South Korea since conservative [President] Lee Myung-bak took
office. If we peel off layer by layer [the reports], we should be able to see
the truth," the North Korean official said.
The diplomat pointed out that those who participated in the military parade
were civilian troops, not regular soldiers. He downplayed the significance of
the event that included a procession of military hardware and goose-stepping
soldiers.
"We should not forget that it was essentially a parade of reserve-duty
soldiers, not active-duty soldiers," the diplomat said, without elaborating.
What the diplomat meant was that given the purported purpose - namely to
propagandizes the grandeur of the North's "military-first" policy - it should
be seen as strange that reserve-duty soldiers, not active-duty troops, would
take part in the parade.
The real reason for Kim absence and the substitution of regular soldiers with
civilians may have actually been Pyongyang's high-end ploy to raise its stake
at the ongoing nuclear talks.
For one thing, Kim garnered attention from the world by not attending a meeting
he would certainly be expected to attend. Secondly, the use of reserve-duty
troops was to tone down the bellicose image of North Korea in the eyes of
American politicians. The move comes as Pyongyang is engaged in critical
negotiations with Washington and the United States is facing a presidential
election in which candidates are openly discussing North Korea as part of their
foreign policy platforms.
But some North Korea watchers have dismissed this supposition.
"This is a lame excuse to cover up the serious nature of Kim's illness, evident
in his absence from the military parade. The National Foundation Day is a very
important occasion in North Korea. It's quite unusual for Kim Jong-il to miss
it and it's even more unusual for reserve-duty soldiers, not regular-duty
soldiers, to perform at the parade," one observer said, adding that this line
of explanation is simply a diversion on North Korea's part to explain away why
Kim missed the event.
And the North Korean diplomat defended Pyongyang's role in the stalled nuclear
talks and its move to resume developing nuclear weaponry.
"The responsibility for the impasse rests with the US, which agreed on an
action-for-action principle, which it violated. As we repeatedly emphasized in
our previous statements, we won't accept unilateral disarmament on our side
only," he said.
Former South Korean unification minister Chung Se-hyun noted that North Korea
may have a legitimate reason to feel that way. "There is certain stereotypical
belief that North Korea is a troublemaker that doesn't keep its promises," he
said in an article carried in South Korea's commentary publication, Pressian.
Chung continued:
According to the February 13 agreement, North Korea is
supposed to receive 1 million tons of crude oil. Among the 11 disablement
items, North Korea has so far completed eight. There are only three more items
to go, including pulling off the fuel rod, the process of the unused fuel rod
and the removal of a nuclear reactor driver. That means an 80% completion so
far. But North Korea got only 435,000 tons, or 43.5%. It's less than half of
what North Korea is supposed to receive, according to the action-for-action
principle.
Besides, the US is delaying the removal of North Korea from the list of
terrorism-sponsoring countries which was supposed to be a reward for
Pyongyang's filing of its nuclear programs. Worse, now the US is strongly
demanding verification again.
The North Korean diplomat said
that Kim Jong-il personally made the decision to detonate the Yongbyon nuclear
facility. "The disablement of Yongbyon nuclear facility and the destroying of
the nuclear cooling tower was a courageous decision by chairman Kim," he said.
"It also reflects a big expectation towards the Bush administration. That,
however, has crumbled, proving again that President Bush is a leader who cannot
be trusted. The internal atmosphere within our republic's leadership now is
that we cannot give further concessions. Where the current impasse heads from
here entirely depends on US attitude," the official added.
The diplomat insisted that the future of the negotiations is in the hands of
the US. "If the situation like this ... is something the US ... actually wants,
what's going to happen from now is very obvious. On the other hand, however, if
the US wants to correct the situation, it's not too late to do so," he said.
"Our consistent position is to solve the issue peacefully through dialogue."
Amid all the media frenzy surrounding Kim's health, what is certain is that the
dictator's well-being is unknown. South Korea's top intelligence agency
officially classifies his health as information that has yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, The New York Times discovered that it didn't have a pre-prepared
obituary for Kim. Alarmed, the paper immediately called up a reporter in Asia
to prepare one. Hopefully, it's ready by now because it may be called for at
any time.
Sunny Lee has lived in China for the past six years. A native of Seoul,
Lee is a graduate of Harvard University and Beijing Foreign Studies University.
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