This just isn't KJI's week

According to some experts, Kim Jongil may be planning to wait out George Bush to begin engaging with international community. This is something a dictator who doesn't seek re-election and has no term limits can do. I wouldn't really call the pre-Bush policy very engaging and my take is that by "wait out" NK means wait until there is someone more likely to cave to KJI's rediculous demands. However, all may not be right in the North and some believe that NK can't afford to wait:

“The North believes it can survive to a certain degree by cozying up to China and getting support from the South through inter-Korean exchanges,” “Internal political issues delayed decision-making in the North,” [Prof. Ko Yu-hwan of Dongguk University] says. “But the country is at a critical juncture and must make important decisions now because the U.S. financial sanctions have dealt it a severe blow.”

Apparently, not only have the effects of sanctions been rather severe, there is a chance that things might progress further. A recent congressional report states that there is reason to believe criminal charges could be leveled at KJI himself.

The report says the U.S. may try to press criminal charges against the North Korean leader in a similar way to how it overthrew Manuel Noriega, the former Panamanian leader. Noriega stood trial in the U.S. on a number of charges including drug trafficking and was imprisoned in 1992

I would love to see how this might possibly be enforced. That and the Chinese and S. Korean leaderships may simply wet themselves if we do it. Japan would be rather unconcerned. Such charges would focus the direction of attack in the counterfeiting case directly on KJI after much speculation about how effective the sanctions have been.

An interesting side note that is related to the bad week KJI has been having. Kim Young-sam, former S. Korean president, fired a broadside of harsh criticism at NK.

"As long as (the North's leader) Kim Jong-il lives, there will be no true peace on the Korean Peninsula,"

Ouch. Evidently, he made the comment after viewing the musical Yodok which brings to life the plight of North Korean gulag victims. It is refreshing to see someone influential in Korea taking a stand on this topic. Kim also stated that NK was the "most despotic country." [also from Yonhap]. Kim has been a friend of LiNK and met with our team that was in S. Korea a few months back.