Kim Jong Il Criticizes China, Russia

Japanese Kyodo News Agency quoted from diplomatic sources in New York on Saturday, August 26, that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il criticized close allies China and Russia as unreliable during a conference in Pyongyang. He added that the country must overcome difficulties surrounding nuclear development on its own.

This implies that Kim Jong Il may be willing to take the risk of being ostracized in the international arena.

On July 15, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the North’s test-firing of missiles, and four days later Kim Jong Il called for a conference of diplomatic and consular office heads abroad that ran from July 18 to 22. It has not been revealed whether the speech was made directly from Kim Jong Il.