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The U.S. government believes that North Korea¡¯s cutting of cross-border communication and other saber-rattling on Wednesday is associated with the deterioration of leader Kim Jong-il¡¯s health, causing a need to consolidate power at the top and be seen to be unshaken.
A diplomat in Washington D.C. said, ¡°We can assume that Kim¡¯s health continues to be bad because the measures are being taken without Kim making a public appearance.¡± Some speculate Kim is unable to make decisions on his own.
Korea experts in the U.S. interpret North Korea¡¯s fresh delay of the denuclearization process -- its refusal to allow sampling -- as a reflection of the North¡¯s determination not to negotiate further with the Bush administration. The Stalinist country is also sending signs that the incoming Obama administration will need to establish a channel for dialogue as soon as it inaugurates, they says.
The announcement came before the Foreign Ministry¡¯s America chief Ri Gun, a part of the traditionally more dialogue-friendly arm of the regime, returned to North Korea from the U.S., suggesting that the isolationist military is on the ascendant at home.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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