The problem is who to deal with in Korea

I blogged earlier about the latest tensions from the Korean peninsular and finished by saying that the more worrying aspect is the state of the leadership in Pyongyang.

Writing in the New York Times,Mark Landler recognises the problems saying that

In dealing with North Korea, American officials are reduced to studying two-month-old photographs of its reclusive leader, Kim Jong-il, to calculate how long he is likely to live.

One of the theories is that the military do not want a continuation of the Jong-il regime and that the latest manoeuvring may be a symptom of that battle

“People who tell you they know what’s going on there don’t know,” said one official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “What’s undeniable is that there are substantial challenges to all the previous approaches to North Korea.”