Uneasy legacy

FEW in the West will mourn the death of Kim Jong-il, the North Korean tyrant who kept his people in starvation while spending lavishly on nuclear weapons for the express purpose of intimidating other countries in the region.

By The Newsroom

Published 20th Dec 2011, 08:04 BST

It is to be hoped that his passing marks the beginning of the end of his country’s status as an international pariah.

Yet it is far from certain that this will be the case. One the one hand, his son and successor, Kim Jong-un, is a young man with more understanding of the West than either his father or grandfather and may have less entrenched views, seeing the wisdom and benefits of closer engagement with his international neighbours.

Indeed, there have been recent talks between North Korea and the United States concerning aid; the advent of a new leader might be the opportun ity for a thawing of relations.

However, China’s enthusiastic endorsement of Kim Jong-un and its fulsome tribute to his father, suggest that Beijing, which is North Korea’s only ally, is happy to see totalitarianism continue, a grim prospect not only for that country’s people, but for the wider world.

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