Special to WorldTribune.com
By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com
SEOUL — North Korean leaders have been living in fear of coming under Chinese control but had no option but to rely on the economic giant for much-needed hard currency, documents and sources said.
According to the 2007 inter-Korean summit transcript disclosed by South Korea’s spy agency, then North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il accused Beijing of treating the North like one of its northeastern provinces.
“The Chinese are carrying out their economic strategy under a concept that (North Korea) is part of its northeast provinces,” Kim told then South Korea’s leftist President Roh Moo-Hyun who traveled to Pyongyang in October 2007, according to the transcript.
“The Chinese are considering (the North) as its fourth northeastern province,” Kim said.
Read complete article.