By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
North Korea's Kim Jong-il has recently told a visiting Chinese dignitary that he is waiting to see and learn more about policies of the new Barack Obama administration, according to a report.
The commentary is the first of its kind from the reclusive leader regarding his stance on the new U.S. government. The remarks were reported Wednesday by Japanese news agency, Kyodo News, which cited unnamed diplomatic sources.
According to the report, the North Korean leader expressed his approach to Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department, who visited Pyongyang in late January.
Kim met with the visiting Chinese official for a discussion in Pyongyang, and when the topic turned to the new U.S. president and his administration, Kim reportedly said, ``I want to keep watching." The regime's leader declined to comment further, according to the report.
Kim's commentary may suggest that the totalitarian regime would wait and see until U.S. President Obama's North Korea policy becomes clearer and more focused, according to Kyodo. The North Korean leader may not take the initiatives but rather simply wait further until he can find out more about Obama's policy approach, the report said.
The report also said that Kim appeared to be in relatively good health. The visiting Chinese official remarked that he appeared to be in good shape during their meeting last month and that he didn't appear to be suffering from major physical illnesses. The North Korean leader didn't show any noticeable physical problem while walking or talking with people around him, and he exhibited no difficulties eating or even drinking, according to the report.
A group of U.S. experts are currently visiting the regime and are meeting with several senior officials there, as part of a new civilian-exchange program between the two countries. The group includes Stephen Bosworth, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, and a candidate for the post of special envoy to Pyongyang.
Others in the group are Jonathan Pollack, a professor of Asian and Pacific studies at the Naval War College, former Assistant Secretary of State Morton Abramowitz and Leon Sigal, director of the Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project at the Social Science Research Council.