China's Hu Jintao sends letter to N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il received a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday, Pyongyang's state news agency said, in his first meeting with a foreign guest since his reported stroke last summer.

The visiting Chinese party official, Wang Jiarui, "conveyed to Kim Jong-il
congratulations and a personal message sent by Hu Jintao" on the occasion of the
Lunar New Year's Day, said the Korean Central News Agency. It did not disclose
what the letter said.
Kim's appearance to a foreign guest, the first since June, suggested he is now
well enough to govern, watchers said.
In a closely watched trip, Wang arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday, raising
speculation his trip may provide an outside account on Kim's health condition.
Wang, chief of the international department in the Chinese Communist Party's
central committee, has met with Kim on all his previous visits to Pyongyang, the
latest being in January 2008.
Speculation of his ill health has swirled after Kim did not appear for an
important anniversary event of the Workers' Party in September. Kim suffered a
stroke and is now recovering, according to Seoul's intelligence. Kim's health has
drawn keen attention as it is directly linked with power succession in the
communist state.
"Common sense would say that Chairman Kim's health condition seems to be normal
as he met with a foreign guest," Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Kim
Ho-nyoun told Yonhap.
Sources say Wang's visit aims to lay the groundwork for a possible summit between
the two leaders. In a related sign, China's foreign ministry delegation visited
Pyongyang earlier this month. The allies are celebrating the 60th anniversary of
diplomatic relations this year.
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea studies professor at Seoul's Dongguk University, said
the leaders' summit is likely.
"Kim would try to strengthen Pyongyang's traditional alliance with Beijing, as
South Korea continues its hard-line stance," he said.
Wang's visit also coincided with the inauguration of the Barack Obama
administration in the United States.
Pyongyang has been waiting for Obama to become president as an opportunity to
start anew with Washington after eight years of largely frayed relations. In an
apparent move to draw Obama's attention, North Korea said last week it would hold
onto its nuclear weapons until it feels safe from U.S. military forces stationed
in South Korea.
In his swearing-in ceremony, Obama vowed to work with "old allies and former
foes" to lessen the nuclear threat.
Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Kim Sook, said Wang is likely to have raised raised
the nuclear issue during his meeting with the North Korean leader.
"China is well aware of the importance of the nuclear issue and it has expressed
support for inter-Korean dialogue," Kim told reporters on Friday.
Paik Hak-soon, a senior fellow with Sejong Institute, an independent think tank
in Seoul, said China will try to push North Korea to disarm.
The visiting Chinese official "is expected to deliver Beijing's message that it
is much more optimistic with the Obama administration than Bush's, and that it
would be in North Korea's interest to cooperate in the nuclear negotiations,"
Paik said.
Trips by Wang usually coincided with important events in North Korea. The North
Korean leader met Wang in January 2004, shortly before Kim's rare visit to China,
and again in February 2005, shortly after North Korea declared its possession of
nuclear weapons. Wang's latest trip in January 2008 came ahead of the
inauguration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)