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Clinton Addresses Potential Succession Crisis in N. Korea
A potential succession crisis in North Korea appears be hampering efforts to restart talks on its nuclear program, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday, adding she will seek guidance from both South Korea and China about how to proceed if North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is incapacitated. "Everybody is trying to read the tea leaves as to what is happening and what is likely to occur, and there is a lot of guessing going on," Clinton told reporters as she flew to the South Korean capital after a one-day stop in Indonesia. In August, when Kim failed to appear at North Korea's 60th anniversary parade, U.S. intelligence officials said they believed Kim had suffered a stroke -- an assertion that North Korean media vehemently denied as a cruel hoax. Kim did not reappear in public view until recently, and U.S. officials continue to believe he suffered some sort of medical malady. There have been many signs of political uncertainty in North Korea, including a report by North Korea's official news service that Kim fired his defense minister. In recent weeks, North Korea has declared void a series of agreements with South Korea, while its state media has unleashed angry blasts at the South Korean government, saying the two countries are close to war. There are also increasing signs that North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile, which Japan and South Korea would consider highly provocative. "There is an increasing amount of pressure because if there is succession, even if it is a peaceful succession, that creates even more uncertainty and it also may encourage behaviors that are even more provocative as a way to consolidate power within the society," Clinton said . Posted by: Fred 2009-02-20 |
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