As I said in the previous posting, China would have to step in to reign in Kim as only they really can.

Looks like it took place.

” Jong Il Thursday and delivered a message from Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to press South Korea on Thursday to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear test.

Amid continued signs that North Korea may be preparing for a second nuclear test, Rice is also reassuring Seoul that the United States stands behind its pledge to defend the country if the North attacked. She carried a similar message in Japan, her first stop on a four-day Asian trip devoted almost entirely to crisis talks on the nuclear threat.

China Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said he had no details of the message conveyed by State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, who flew to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on Wednesday.

“This is a very significant visit, against the backdrop of major changes on the Korean peninsula,” Liu said.

The North‚Äôs official Korean Central News Agency reported that Tang, Beijing‚Äôs nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, and Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo arrived Wednesday in Pyongyang.”

Again, North Korea for all it’s “standing army of about 1.2 million, with millions more in reserve, and a supply of missiles capable of reaching Asian cities” threats, is still a nation materially dependent on China and in the event that Kim would attack the South wouldn’t find the support from China.

Additionally, there is a great question of “loyalty” within the regime. For all the “candle burning” the fact is that there IS a growing resistance within North Korea, or “The Kim Family Regime”. As well, while not widely reported, the KFR has actually been in the collapse for quite some time. In fact what we are seeing is now are signs that might possibly point to desperation moves on the part of Kim. This makes him a very dangerous person.

As I said the North very likely wouldn’t attack the South. This might have been possible twenty years ago, but the South Korean Army is well able to return fire and prove a very capable opponent. Besides that the North may have significant moral factors within it’s armed services where the troops are neither paid well or well fed. Therefore it would be questionable whether Kim could keep the loyalty his military in a protracted struggle.

Additionally the Korea War - which has never ended - had full Chinese support. Not so this time around. China does NOT want to get into a regional conflict with North and South Korea that would draw the United States into it, therefore look for China to continue to exert pressure to get Kim to stand down.