Long Honeymoon over for North Korea?

United Press International:

China cuts investment in N.Korea over nuke

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- China has cut its investments in North Korea since Pyongyang's nuclear test last October, South Korean officials said Friday.

"China has made no investments in North Korea since the nuclear test on Oct. 9," a government official said.

Before the nuclear test, China had made brisk investments in the communist neighbor, building a glass manufacturing plant and improving infrastructure, in a bid to boost Red Capitalists' race to exploit developing the impoverished North.

But two-way trade between North Korea and China further increased 7.5 percent last year, deepening the North's economic reliance on China.

Japan has also sharply reduced trade with North Korea since its nuclear test. Two-way trade between them plunged 75 percent for October and November from a year earlier, the official said.

This spells more trouble for Kim Jong Il... he already has to contend with an embargo on many luxury items, and now this betrayal from China, it's closest (and virtually only) ally. He can no longer supply his Generals and political allies with all the precious pricey goods and services they have come to covet under Kim.

Does this spell the end of the line for Kim, the profligate, prodigal, pansy man/boy freak show son?

"This is not the end. This is not the beginning of the end. This is the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill