Since I’m preparing to head up to Dandong this weekend, here’s a rundown of the situation on the Korean Penninsula, as of this week:

First off, it looks like Kim Jong Il is backing down a bit. Chinese officials announced last week that the DPRK had no plans for a second nuclear test (that wooshing sound you hear is all of East Asia breathing a sigh of relief) and today comes news that the North will return to six-party talks.

It’s unclear, however, how far negotiations will get so long as the North Korea remains in possession of a nuclear arsenal. Japan and the US seem unlikely to give Kim much running room while he has even a half-functional bomb in his back pocket.

China has beefed up its border of late, especially around Dandong. The border town is the busiest crossing between the tentative allies. And here’s an interesting bit: China didn’t send any crude oil to North Korea in September. None. From the New York Times (via IHT):

In September, China exported 125,185 tons of crude for a reported value of $62 million. All of that was exported to the United States, with North Korea receiving nothing.

North Korea depends on China for up to 90 percent of its oil, much of which is sold on credit or for bartered goods, according to Chinese energy experts. Any sustained reduction could cripple its isolated and struggling economy.

There is no clear indication that the September figures represent a policy shift on providing vital food and fuel supplies to its neighbor and Korean War-era ally. Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Oct. 9, after the period covered by the latest customs data.

But North Korea tested ballistic missiles in July, defying sharp warnings from Beijing. China supported a United Nations resolution condemning the missile tests. It urged North Korea in the ensuring weeks not to take any steps that might “worsen tensions” in the region.

Beijing did not announce a reduction in oil exports. The figures were released by China’s customs administration. The drop in supplies to North Korea was first reported by Reuters.

It was possible the statistics were an anomaly or that supplies were cut because North Korea did not need more oil in September. Officials at China National Petroleum Corp., which sells oil and manages an oil pipeline to North Korea, declined to comment on the matter.

As the article points out later, the DPRK also imports crude from Iran, but in much smaller amounts. Maybe China is finally doing some arm-twisting.

And finally, something that seems less and less surprising:

Increasingly defiant toward international pressure since his nation’s first nuclear test in early October, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il condemned this morning’s sunrise, calling it “another hostile, deliberately timed act by the world community” and “a clear and blatant declaration of war.”

OK, so that last bit was from The Onion and was made up, as far as I know. Anything else I should be reading? Drop me a comment.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 at 11:21 pm and is filed under News, roadside blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.