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Kim fears collapse of regime
 TOKYO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has told Chinese President Hu Jintao that his regime could collapse under financial sanctions imposed by the United States, a press report said yesterday.
Kim made the remarks when he met Hu during his visit to China last month, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported from New York, quoting diplomatic sources. When Hu suggested that North Korea stop pushing for the removal of the sanctions as a condition for its return to the six-way talks, Kim replied, "If we do such a thing, our government will collapse," the report said.
The US Treasury in September halted all dealings with a Macau bank, accusing it of acting as a willing front for North Korean money laundering. It also blacklisted eight North Korean companies in connection with the bank. The United States believes that the bank helped North Korea launder earnings from counterfeiting US bank notes, trafficking illicit narcotics, smuggling contraband cigarettes and other illegal enterprises.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-02-12 |
